Deadly Retaliation
by Deana
Summary: Locknah’s men want revenge on Ardeth and the Medjai for Locknah’s death. They get their vengeance in a terrible way…
1. Anxiety

Deadly Retaliation 

A Mummy story by Deana Lisi

Disclaimer: I don't own Ardeth Bay (boo hoo) or anyone else from The Mummy, but I do own Safti and the other original characters. HUGE thanks to J-James, who gave me a _great_ idea when I got stuck, lol! :)

"Ardeth?"

Ardeth Bay jumped at the unexpected voice. Looking up, he saw Safti sit down beside him. 

"What are you doing out here?" his second-in-command asked. "It is late, we arrive back at camp tomorrow."

Ardeth sighed, annoyed at himself for having not heard Safti coming. "I could not sleep," he answered.

"Again?"

Ardeth looked at his friend, realizing he was caught.

Safti nodded. "I know you did not sleep last night either."

"How?"

Safti smiled. "I am your Second, I am _supposed_ to know." 

Ardeth smiled back, but it turned into a sigh as he looked back out into the dark desert night.

"What is bothering you, Ardeth?" his friend asked.

Ardeth shook his head. "I am not sure. Sleep just eludes me."

"Why?"

Ardeth shook his head again, having no answer.

Safti studied him. "What happens after you lie down to sleep?"

"I can not keep my eyes closed long enough," Ardeth told him. "I finally get up, and come outside."

"You are restless," Safti said. "And I can understand why."

Ardeth looked at him, a question on his face.

"Life has been peaceful lately. No raids, no bizarre happenings, no O'Connell's…"

Ardeth laughed at that one.

"Your mind is afraid that it will soon end," Safti continued. "So you are restless, expecting the peace to be shattered."

Ardeth looked at him again, as if contemplating his statement. Then he nodded, looking back out into the void of night. "I believe you may be right."

Safti nodded, with a smile. 

"Now that I know the probable reason for it, will sleep finally come?" Ardeth wondered.

Safti gave the Med-jai version of a shrug. "As Rick would say, 'there's only one way to find out'."

Ardeth smiled, but then his face changed, and he sighed. 

"What?" Safti asked.

"I hope this is not a sign that peace _will_ be lost," Ardeth answered.

Safti hadn't considered that possibility. "I suppose you will continue to stay awake now worrying about _that_."

Ardeth made a humored face at him. 

Safti noticed that he gave no answer. He sighed, looking out into the night. 

"You do not have to stay out here with me," said Ardeth. "You do not need to lose your own sleep."

"I can not help it," said Safti. "Now you have made _me_ worried."

Ardeth looked at him with a frown, to see the smile his friend was trying to hide. He chuckled, but it turned into a huge yawn.

"Aha," said Safti. "Try to sleep _now_. You can barely keep your eyes open."

Ardeth nodded, yawning again. He probably _would_ fall asleep this time; he'd been losing sleep far longer then Safti knew. 

"Come," Safti said, tugging on his arm.

Ardeth allowed Safti to help him up, who held onto his arm as if thinking Ardeth too tired to walk. They entered his tent, and Safti stood there with his arms crossed, as if making sure Ardeth really did lie down. 

"There is no point in worrying about something that _may_ or may not happen," Safti told him. 

Ardeth nodded, already feeling his senses starting to drift. Before they left him completely, he wondered if he was really falling asleep, or passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Safti watched to make sure he went to sleep, sighing in relief when it became obvious that he had. Tiptoeing out of the tent, he hoped against hope that Ardeth's concern over the current peace would not become warranted. 

********************

The next morning, Safti awoke at dawn and quickly rose, heading towards Ardeth's nearby tent, wanting to know if his friend had slept the night. Just as he was about to peek his head in, he heard what sounded like a gasp come from inside.

Quickly entering, he saw Ardeth lying in the same position he'd fallen asleep in, but he had a frown on his face, and was moving around slightly. 

It was obvious that he was having a nightmare, and Safti knelt beside him, wishing that waking him up wasn't the only way to bring him out of it. "Ardeth!" he said, gently shaking him. 

Ardeth opened his eyes, looking startled. He looked at Safti with a confused expression, his eyes feeling heavy with exhaustion. 

"Ardeth?" Safti said, concerned when he remained quiet. 

Ardeth still said nothing, sweating and breathing heavily as he tried to remember what he'd dreamed.

"_Ardeth_," Safti repeated, more firmly. "Are you all right?"

Ardeth nodded, still looking confused. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare," Safti told him. "What was it about?"

Ardeth shook his head. "I do not remember." He started to get up, but Safti grabbed his arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" Safti asked.

Ardeth blinked. "It is after dawn."

Safti nodded. "Yes, for everyone but _you_. Go back to sleep."

Ardeth couldn't stop the smile threatening to spread across his features. Safti was treating him as if he were an unruly child. "We need to finish our journey."

"You only slept for 5 hours," said Safti. "You need much more then that; it can clearly be seen on your face, my friend."

Ardeth knew that Safti was right. He suddenly realized that if he was correct about bad times being ahead, than he needed to be ready for it. 

"Rest today, Ardeth," Safti said. "I am sure the tribe can do without you for one more day."

Ardeth sighed. He had an uneasy feeling, like something was very wrong.

Safti studied him, very concerned. Ardeth's hunches usually proved correct, and Safti could see that he felt something amiss.

"When we get back to camp, if nothing is wrong, _then_ I will rest," Ardeth countered.

Safti nodded, leaving the tent to gather their things.


	2. Ardeth's Hunch Proves Correct! YIKES!

As they neared the Med-jai camp, Ardeth's nervousness grew. He _knew_ something was wrong, and was incredibly impatient to arrive. They galloped at a fast pace, and were surprised to come upon two Med-jai a few miles from their tribe.

The grave look on their faces sent a stab of anxiety through Ardeth. _I knew something was wrong! _"What is it?" he called out.

"You can not enter the camp," one of the warriors said, a captain named Kamal. "The tribe is ill!"

"With what?!" Safti exclaimed.

"According to the healers, malaria."

Ardeth and Safti looked at each other, in utter shock.

"The entire tribe?!" Ardeth exclaimed.

"Nearly," said Akeem, one of the younger warriors. He looked suspiciously pale.

"That is _not_ normal!" Safti exclaimed. "Namoos can't survive this far out in the desert; malaria hardly ever strikes _anyone_ within the camps!"

Ardeth looked at Safti. "An attack."

Safti frowned. 

"Someone infiltrated the camp," said Ardeth, with a sigh. "Just long enough to infest it with malaria-carrying namoos!"

Realization dawned on Safti's face. "You were right, Ardeth…"

Ardeth sighed, looking to the warriors. "When did people begin falling ill, Kamal?"

"This is day number three. There were but a few the first and second, and today seemingly half the tribe fell ill." Kamal sighed. "We rode out this morning, hoping to meet you before you arrived. There may still be infected namoos within the camp, and the two of you may be the only Med-jai in our tribe that were not bitten." 

Ardeth knew that it took a minimum of seven days after being bitten for the symptoms of malaria to manifest, which meant he and Safti left on the day the namoos began their feast on their people.

Were he and Safti bitten before they left? 

Ardeth also knew that malaria affects different people in different ways. Some tribe members will most likely not get sick at all; living in a malaria-prone country tended to make some people immune. It was most dangerous to the very young, very old, the weak, and women who were with child. Glancing at Safti, Ardeth smiled inwardly. The 6'5 warrior was as strong as an ox, and probably would not be affected at all by the sickness even if he were bitten five times. 

Ardeth tried to recall if he noticed any namoos bites on his body in the past week. 

"Ardeth, this message came for you while you were gone," Kamal said, holding an envelope.

Ardeth rode his horse closer, taking it from him and quickly reading it, his eyes widening in shock at the words it contained.

Safti looked over his shoulder. The letter was from Evy O'Connell; the new curator of the Museum of Antiquities. 

"There are more followers of Lock-nah," Ardeth said. "They were heard plotting against us." He sighed inwardly, upset to find out that six months after Lock-nah's death, his people were still showing up and causing them trouble.

"We must find them!" Safti exclaimed. "What if they plan to attack while the tribe is incapable of fighting?"

The thought sent Ardeth's heart racing. Looking at the two warriors, he sighed. "You must send a message to the other tribal commanders, and ask for volunteers to come help defend our tribe. Refuse anyone you do not think strong enough to resist the illness; I do not wish anyone else to become ill."

The warriors nodded. 

"And that goes for Akeem," said Safti, gesturing to the young warrior turning paler before their eyes. 

Kamal looked at Akeem, in concern. "Are you all right?"

Akeem opened his mouth to insist that he was fine, but saw no point in lying to his older brother. 

Kamal sighed, taking the reins of Akeem's horse. "I will send the messages, and do what I must to protect our tribe."

Ardeth nodded, and Kamal and Akeem rode back towards the camp.

"Safti, perhaps—"

"I know what you are about to say, Ardeth," Safti inturrupted. "And you are probably right, I most likely would not be affected by the namoos if I went back to camp. But I am coming with you anyway, you can not go alone."

Ardeth smiled at Safti's loyalty, and he nodded gratefully.

A chill went down Safti's spine when he saw the tiredness in Ardeth's eyes. He realized that Ardeth's recent lack of sleep would possibly make him more susceptible to the sickness. 

Safti desperately hoped the namoos had attacked the camp _after_ they'd left that day. _If not…_With a sigh, he realized that he'd better keep a close eye on his friend.

********************

_"What? You tryin' to tell me that someone sent a bunch of malaria-carrying mosquitoes into your tribe?"_

_Ardeth nodded._

_"That's insane," said Rick O'Connell, as they sat in his Cairo home. "We never seem to get rid of the badguys, do we?"_

"Ardeth!"

Ardeth snapped his head up, to see that he was sitting on his horse, and Safti had a death grip on his arm. 

Safti started muttering nervously, as he felt Ardeth's forehead.

Ardeth moved his friend's arm away. "I am not ill, Safti, I fell asleep." Even as he said it, he was shocked that it'd happened.

Safti sighed, for _two_ reasons. One; in utter relief that Ardeth wasn't sick, and two; upset that Ardeth was so tired that he fell asleep while riding. "We are stopping," he said, as if _he_ were the leader.

Ardeth didn't complain, as he dismounted. He knew there was no way he'd make it to Cairo without some sleep. 

Safti pitched a tent, and they both hurried inside, eager to get out of the scorching desert sun. 

"Do not let me sleep longer then _one_ hour," Ardeth told his friend, as he lay down.

Safti nodded, though he had no intentions of obeying him. 

Ardeth fell asleep faster then Safti thought he would, especially given their worry over the tribe. He studied his friend's face, trying to find any sign of illness. All he could see was exhaustion. With a sigh, Safti wondered how long Ardeth had waged this battle with sleep. 

********************

"I have seen Ardeth Bay."

Hafeez, formally second-in-command to Lock-nah, quickly turned around. "Where?"

Fahim walked closer. "He and his Second approached their tribe, but were met by two other Med-jai. They spoke briefly, but then turned around, going back in the direction they'd come."

Hafeez stood there quietly, thinking. "They surely informed Bay of the tribe's sickness." He smiled. "I would have enjoyed observing his reaction."

Fahim nodded, with a smile. "They appeared to be quite shocked."

"Do you know where they went?"

Fahim shook his head. 

Hafeez started to pace. "It looks as though Bay was not bitten."

Fahim shrugged. "He _may_ have been, there is still time for the illness to manifest."

Hafeez nodded. "That is true." He suddenly smiled, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Ardeth Bay shall _finally_ taste revenge, Fahim. Revenge worse then even Lock-nah's past attempts!"

'namoos' : Egyptian Arabic for 'mosquitoes'


	3. Bringer of the Killer Namoos!

"Safti?" Ardeth spoke before he was even completely awake; he subconsciously knew he'd slept longer then he'd intended, and he quickly sat up.

A hand grabbed his arm, stopping him from rising. 

"What is it?" Safti asked, concerned at Ardeth's sudden jumpiness.

"How long has it been?" Ardeth asked. 

"Nearly three hours."

Ardeth made a sound of annoyance, quickly standing. "Why did you—" Ardeth stopped before he asked, knowing perfectly well what the answer was. "Let us go."

Safti nodded and left the tent, offering no apology for disobeying his chief. 

If the circumstances had been different, Ardeth would've found humor in the situation, in how Safti thought he had the right to counter Ardeth's orders. With a slight smile, Ardeth knew that Safti didn't see everything he said _as_ an order; they'd grown up together and been best friends for every day of their lives. They were too close for Ardeth to treat him as anything less then a brother. 

As Ardeth gave water to his horse, he realized that Safti probably gave _him_ more orders then _he_ gave Safti! 

As Safti put the tent into the saddlebag, he gave a short laugh, knowing by Ardeth's expression what he was thinking. Ardeth was right; Safti saw a need to protect his friend and leader. Safti liked to joke that he was the older of the two, which was the truth, but he was only older by a mere month. He considered himself to be Ardeth's bodyguard; his much greater size being justification for that; Safti was 6'5 and very broad—the tallest in the camp—while Ardeth was 6'1; a tall man in his own right, yes, but he was nowhere near as bulky as his giant friend, who was built with solid muscle and could knock out a man with one punch. 

As Ardeth mounted his horse, he thought back to his people, and felt a stab of worry hit his chest. He suddenly was struck by another thought; one that bothered him just as much.

Safti saw the look on his face as he rode his horse beside him. "What, Ardeth?"

"The O'Connell's," Ardeth said, looking at him. "They may be in danger also."

Safti nodded, feeling a twinge of anxiety at his words. "We must hurry."

Ardeth nodded, spurring his horse into a gallop. 

********************

"Oh Rick! Do you think he got the message in time?"

Rick sighed, from where he sat on the couch, watching his wife pace. Evy had sent the message two days ago, and they both knew that the Med-jai camp was currently less then a day from Cairo. Ardeth should've arrived by now. "I wish I knew, Evy."

Evy paced twice more before plopping onto the couch, heavily. Almost immediately they heard a knock on the door. 

"Oooh!" Evy exclaimed, quickly jumping back up.

Rick followed her to the door, reaching it first and throwing it open. "Ardeth! Am I glad to see you!"

Ardeth smiled at him, walking into the house with Safti behind him.

"Thank God!" Evy exclaimed. "I was afraid something had already happened!"

"I was not at camp when your message arrived," Ardeth explained. 

"Ohhh," said Evy. "I hadn't thought of that."

Rick looked out the door into the night, making sure that no dangerous characters were in sight before closing and locking it. 

"Before you tell us what you heard," said Ardeth, sitting on the couch. "These men have apparently already attacked us."

Rick frowned, leaning on the arm of Evy's chair. "'Apparently'?"

Ardeth and Safti shared a look, a sad look that made Evy and Rick nervous. 

"The tribe is ill," Ardeth told them, sighing. "With malaria."

Evy gasped.

Rick stood. "Malaria? The whole tribe?"

"Most of it," said Safti.

"But…but…" said Evy. "That doesn't make sense. Mosquitoes…"

"Yes," said Ardeth, nodding. "It seems that these men let infected namoos loose within our camp." He sighed, looking troubled. "I would like to know how they achieved it."

Rick nodded, knowing that it wasn't exactly easy to sneak into the Med-jai encampment.

"Wait a minute!" said Evy, sounding scared. "How do you know _you_ weren't bitten?!"

"Safti and I went on a journey apparently the same day the namoos infested the camp," Ardeth told her. "We may have avoided contact with them."

"But you can't be sure of that," said Rick.

Ardeth didn't answer. 

Evy suddenly stood up and ran towards the kitchen.

Rick laughed slightly, at Safti's puzzled expression. "She's probably getting her 'cure-all' drink."

Safti and Ardeth both frowned.

"Tea," Rick said.

"Did someone mention tea?" said a new voice.

Turning around, Ardeth and Safti saw Jonathan coming down the stairs, wearing a goofy-looking nightcap.

"Ah! Ardeth, Safti! To what do we owe your visit, at…" he looked at his watch. "12:11am?"

Safti chuckled.

Ardeth couldn't prevent a slight smile at Jonathan's appearance, especially when he saw the big ball at the end of his hat. 

"Some freaks infested the Med-jai camp with Malaria," Rick told him.

Jonathan stopped dead, not far from Ardeth. "Malaria?" he sputtered, and then turned and ran back towards the stairs.

"Jonathan!" Evy yelled, walking in with her tea service. "You know malaria isn't contagious!"

Jonathan stopped, and turned around again. "Oh, right." He approached them again, slowly. "What are you doing here, Ardeth?!" he asked, peering into his face. "You should be in a hospital or something…"

"They're not sick," said Rick, holding out his teacup, waiting for Evy to fill it. 

Jonathan blinked, having mistaken Ardeth's obvious exhaustion for illness. "Oh…I thought…well, that's a bloody _good_ thing!" 

Ardeth nodded, sipping his tea.

"Oooh!" Evy suddenly exclaimed. "Safti, is Suhaylah all right?"

Safti nodded. "She journeyed to another tribe over a week ago, to visit a friend who recently married outside of our camp." He sighed with relief. "My wife and her brother were gone long before the namoos came."

"Thank God!" said Evy, as she finished serving everyone and sat, with a sigh. "All right; the details. It was all rather obvious, and I wonder if they let me overhear on purpose."

"What do you mean?" Safti asked.

Evy shook her head. "There were two of them, in the museum. They were laughing, and I asked them to hush their voices." She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Before I had a chance to walk away, one of them said, quite loudly, 'If Lock-nah were still here, he would be proud of the attack we have planned against the Med-jai.' When I turned around, to confront them—"

Rick made an exasperated sound.

Evy shot him a glare. "When I turned around, they'd run off." She frowned. "They deliberately said that in my presence."

Ardeth sighed. "They wanted us to know who caused the outbreak."

"Looks that way, ol' chap," said Jonathan, just as the end of his hat, ball and all, fell into his teacup.

Ardeth yawned, and Evy shot a concerned look at him. 

"You _are_ staying the night, right?"

Safti accepted the invitation before Ardeth could say anything. "That would be most appreciated."

Evy smiled, standing and motioning towards the stairs. After showing them each to a room, Evy followed Safti into his.

"Is Ardeth all right?" she asked, in obvious concern.

Safti nodded. "He does not appear to be ill. What you see is the effect of many recent sleepless nights."

Evy frowned.

Safti sighed. "He had what you would call a 'hunch'. He knew something was wrong at the camp."

Evy smiled. "He's a good leader."

Safti nodded. "Yes, he is. The best leader the Med-jai people has ever had." 

"I hope Ardeth sleeps well _tonight_," she said, with a sigh. 

"I am sure he will," Safti said, to make her feel better.

Evy smiled at him. "Well, tisbah ala kheyr. See you in the morning!"

"Tisbahee ala kheyr," he replied, smiling back. After she left, Safti went to the door that connected his and Ardeth's rooms, and knocked. He frowned when he got no reply. "Ardeth?" he said. Still hearing nothing, he opened the door.

What he saw surprised him. Ardeth was fast asleep, lying flat on his back on top of the bedcovers. He was fully clothed, but had at least removed his weapons before apparently collapsing onto the bed. The sight would have been humorous had Safti not known the reason behind his friend's exhaustion. 

Tiptoeing closer, Safti studied his friend's face for a minute, again making sure that Ardeth indeed wasn't sick. There were dark circles under his eyes, proclaiming his exhaustion. Safti thought he also detected some paleness, but it could've been the lighting in the house. 

With a sigh, Safti walked over to the window, looking out at the night. A full moon hung high in the sky, a sight Safti loved to see. It brought peace to his mind, to know that no matter what happened in life, the world still turned, and God continued to take care of His creatures. 

Suddenly Ardeth made a noise, and Safti turned, to see his friend roll over onto his side. He remained asleep, to Safti's immense relief. 

With one last look out the window, Safti inwardly lifted up a prayer for his people, and quietly went back to his room.

'tisbah ala kheyr' : Egyptian Arabic for "Goodnight", said to a male.

'tisbahee ala kheyr' : Egyptian Arabic for "Goodnight", said to a female.


	4. SPLAT! lol

"Safti?"

At Evy's whisper, Safti answered, "Come in."

The door opened, and Evy peeked her head into the room. "Oh good, you're awake! I didn't want to knock in case you were still asleep."

Safti finished tying his boot, and stood up straight.  "As you can see, I am awake and quite refreshed. What I would give to have a bed like that in the desert!"

Evy nodded, feeling bad that the Med-jai people slept on the hard sand.

Safti saw her sad look. "But then again, it would be quite impossible for us to change our location so much."

Evy nodded. "That's a good point. I can't imagine a mattress on a horse's back!"

Safti chuckled.

"I came up here to let you know I'm making breakfast," Evy told him. "Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

Safti shook his head. "Anything you make is fine with me."

"All right." Evy shot a look at the door to Ardeth's room. "Do you think he's awake?"

"I think perhaps not," Safti said, walking towards the door. "I have not heard a single sound from inside." Opening the door, he peeked his head in, to find the bed empty. 

"Ardeth?" he said, walking in. He was nowhere to be seen.

"I didn't see him downstairs," said Evy.

"He must be somewhere," Safti said, forcing away an apprehensive feeling. So his friend had gotten up early; there's nothing wrong with that. But the threat of malaria was too real; had he fallen ill in the night, and wandered off in a delirious stupor?

Safti saw the same question on Evy's face, and they both quickly left the room and ran down the stairs. 

Ardeth was not in the living room, kitchen, or dining room, and as they rounded a corner, they nearly smashed right into Rick.

"Oooh!" Evy exclaimed.

"Shh!" Rick said, a finger to his lips. "Ardeth's asleep in there."

"In the library?" Evy asked.

Rick nodded. 

Evy and Safti exchanged glances.

"What?" Rick asked.

Saying nothing, Evy passed him and they all walked into the library. Ardeth was slouched in an overstuffed chair, facing a large window. 

Tiptoeing quietly, Evy stood in front of him, trying to figure out how to feel his forehead without waking him.

"He is all right," Safti whispered, so soft she could hardly hear him. "He has no fever."

Evy took his word for it. The two men had been like brothers for all of their 32 years. She was sure Safti knew what he was talking about. 

"That's a relief," she exclaimed, forgetting to whisper.

Ardeth's eyes snapped open, and he looked startled for a second to see everyone standing there, looking down at him. 

"Ooh! Ardeth! I'm sorry!" Evy said, covering her mouth with a hand.

Ardeth smiled at her, sitting up. "It is all right."

"What are you doing in here?" Safti asked.

Ardeth looked around, nearly having forgotten. "I woke in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep."

Safti frowned. 

"At least you fell back to sleep eventually!" said Evy, relieved. "We were worried, Ardeth! When we found your room empty we thought you'd fallen ill and wandered away."

Ardeth gave her a sympathetic look. "I apologize, I did not mean to frighten you."

Evy took his arm as he stood up from the chair. "Don't be sorry, as long as we know you're all right! Now, what would you like for breakfast?" 

"Anything you make will be fine."

Evy laughed. "You and Safti are too much alike!"

Rick and Safti watched them walk off towards the kitchen, and Rick shot Safti a worried look. "He was bitten, wasn't he?"

Safti sighed. "We honestly do not know, Rick. I am not sure if _I_ was bitten either."

Rick frowned. 

"But even if I was, I am sure I will be fine." Safti gave him a grin, pounding himself on the chest like Tarzan. 

Rick chuckled. "Yeah, I agree with that. No tiny splatmoos could hurt the mighty Safti."

Safti laughed. "The word is 'namoos'!"

Rick shrugged. "Whatever. They go 'splat' when you squish 'em, anyway." 

They both laughed as they walked to the kitchen.

********************

"So how will you find them?"

Ardeth shook his head at Rick. "I am not sure. I do not know where Lock-nah's followers currently reside."

Evy sighed, as she ate. "I wish I knew their names. I can only tell you what they look like."

"We know of some of them," said Safti. "We may perhaps recognize them from your description."

Evy nodded, resting her chin in her hand, still holding her fork. "Well, one of them had an eye patch."

Ardeth and Safti looked at each other.

"An eye patch? Are you sure it wasn't Izzy?" Jonathan quipped.

"So, Hafeez still lives," said Safti.

Ardeth nodded, with a sigh. "Unfortunately."

"Who's he?" Rick asked.

"Lock-nah's second-in-command," Safti told him. "As ruthless a man as Lock-nah himself."

"That bloody figures," said Jonathan, dropping a piece of egg off his fork before it reached his mouth.

"They truly _did_ wish us to know who they were," said Ardeth. "Hafeez is not foolish enough to discuss attack plans within earshot of _anyone_, nevermind a Med-jai ally." 

Rick stood from his seat. "This is _not_ good," he said, throwing down his napkin. "These guys could be playing a game with us, and could be outside right now!" He started walking towards a window. "I mean, come on! They let Evy hear so that she would tell you, knowing that you would come to us."

Ardeth joined him. "I fear that you may be right."

Jonathan looked at Evy, nervously. "So what do we _do_?!" he squeaked. 

Rick shot him an exasperated look before looking at Evy. His expression softened at the sight of his wife, but then changed to show open nervousness for her safety. "Hey, Ardeth…"

Ardeth turned to look at him.

Rick sighed. "You know me, I'd offer to help you out in a second, but…I have to stay here to protect Evy. She's pregnant."

Ardeth's frown turned into a genuine smile. "Congratulations, my friends! That is indeed wonderful!"

They both smiled at him.

The thought of Rick and Evy finally having their second child improved Ardeth's mood. "When is the new O'Connell to arrive?"

"About 6 months," Evy said, standing. "We'll most likely be here and not in England, I would rather not travel at a time like this..."

Ardeth saw the slightly green tinge that came to her face at the thought of a long boat trip. "I am very happy for you both," he said. "And am eager to meet your daughter."

"How do you know it'll be a girl?" Evy asked.

Ardeth looked at Rick. "I believe you would call it a 'hunch'?" He smiled. "Besides, you already have a son."

Rick nodded, with a smile.  

"Have you informed Alex yet?" Safti asked.

Rick shook his head. "We'll tell him when he comes home from boarding school." He grinned. "Actually, it'll be pretty obvious by then."

Evy smiled at him as she removed the breakfast dishes.

"So!" said Jonathan, suddenly. "What's the plan, eh?"

Rick rolled his eyes, knowing that the only reason Jonathan was asking is because he knew he wouldn't be involved in it. 

Safti looked at Ardeth.

Ardeth shook his head, turning back to the window. "I am not sure as of yet. I have a feeling that _they_ will find _us_ before _we_ find _them_." 

Rick gave them a stricken look, not liking the sound of that. Hearing a noise behind them, he turned to see Evy return from the kitchen.

His gaze must've rested on her for a while, for Ardeth suddenly touched his arm.

"Your place is with your wife, my friend."

Rick looked at him, knowing that he was right. 

"I hope you'll return tonight," said Evy. "If you're still in Cairo."

Ardeth smiled at her. "It is likely we may not be, but if we are, then of course we will."

Evy smiled.

"I shall send a message to the closest tribe," Ardeth told Rick. "To request that some warriors come here, to protect you and your family."

Rick looked relieved, for the sake of Evy and their unborn child. "Thanks."

"Anytime, my friend," Ardeth replied, as he and Safti walked towards the door.

"Be careful!" Evy couldn't help but tell them.

"We are always careful, right, Ardeth?" said Safti, hoping to lighten the mood.

Ardeth smiled. "Always."

They said goodbye at the door, and ventured outside.

Rick, Evy, and Jonathan watched them leave. Rick followed them out and looked around. If anyone had pursued his friends, he hoped to spot them before Ardeth and Safti were caught unawares. He watched as the two Med-jai rode off on their horses, and was relieved when no suspicious characters followed them. 

"They'll be fine," he told his wife and brother-in-law, walking back into the house.

Evy looked skeptical. "I hope so, Rick."


	5. Disaster Strikes!

Ardeth and Safti visited one of their Cairo contacts, to send the promised message to the nearest tribe. They kept a wary eye on their surroundings, both of them aware that they could be attacked at any moment. 

As expected, that moment came. 

They were just riding out of the city when two men suddenly came at them, one from each side. Ardeth and Safti saw them in time, and pulled out their scimitars. 

The attackers quickly dismounted from their horse, standing menacingly with their swords drawn.

Ardeth and Safti quickly did the same. 

"We were sent by Hafeez!" said one of them, before lunging at Ardeth.

The battle was tough; Hafeez's men being nearly as skilled as the Med-jai. 

Safti's size was an advantage over his opponent, and he managed to wound the man, who took that as an indication to flee.

The man fighting Ardeth saw, and quickly backed away. "Do not bother looking for Hafeez, _he_ will find _you_," he said, cryptically, leaping onto his horse and riding away. 

Ardeth was slightly surprised that they had ended the fight so suddenly, and stood there, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" Safti automatically asked. 

Ardeth nodded, ignoring the stings of the scratches he'd obtained from his opponent's sword. "We can not _let_ them find us first, Safti." 

Safti nodded, mounting his horse and bringing Ardeth's to him. "They must be somewhere near our tribe," he said, with a sigh. "That would explain their ease at letting the namoos loose in our camp." 

Ardeth shook his head as he mounted. "But if that were so, than our patrols would have found them." 

Safti nodded. "That is true." 

Ardeth frowned. It made no sense. "Unless…"

Safti waited, knowing that Ardeth was thinking.

Ardeth absently patted his horse's mane, as the animal whinnied impatiently, wanting to run. "Safti, which tribe was it that lost contact with their patrol last week?"

Safti frowned. "The 7th." 

"And that is the tribe in the remotest area of our perimeter," said Ardeth. "And is currently the closest camp to ours." 

Realization struck Safti. "You think Hafeez and his men overcame that patrol?"

Ardeth nodded. "And replaced them. Yes."

Safti sighed. "Than _that_ is our destination?"

Ardeth nodded again, and Safti followed as he kicked his horse into a gallop. 

********************

Kamal sighed as he walked through the Med-jai camp. Many of the people were ill; some worse than others.

Finding a place to sit, he sighed once more as he thought of his brother. Akeem _was_ indeed ill, but he was young and strong and his fever wasn't dangerously high. Kamal prayed that it would not become so.

He suddenly heard a woman burst into tears, and closed his eyes in sorrow, knowing that it probably meant someone had just died. 

Sighing for the third time in as many minutes, he quickly stood as he heard the sound of galloping hooves; desperately hoping it wasn't the enemy. Seeing Med-jai robes on the riders, he hurried to meet them. His heart swelled when he saw the number of men that had come from a few of the closest tribes. These warriors didn't care about the danger to themselves; their only concern was for their people. 

********************

It was a long journey to the 7th tribe and Ardeth and Safti kept the pace fast, wanting to reach it as quickly as possible. 

Safti knew that they wouldn't reach it in the minimum time, for they would not be able to ride through the night; he knew that Ardeth was still too tired. Safti knew that his friend would push himself and try anyway, and he was fully prepared to argue with Ardeth that he would not be able to fight Hafeez if he was near collapse from exhaustion. 

As it was, Safti could already see telltale signs in his friend's face that his endurance was dwindling. Looking off to the west, Safti could see that the sun was setting. "Let us stop, Ardeth."

Ardeth looked at him as if he thought him mad. "Stop?"

Safti nodded, taking the reins of Ardeth's horse and yanking it to a halt. "You will not be able to face Hafeez without sleep."

Ardeth looked angrier than Safti expected. "Our people may be dying!"

Safti hid his surprise. "Our haste in confronting Hafeez will not change that!" He watched as the flame in Ardeth's eyes died down.

"You are right," Ardeth said. "Forgive me."

Safti shook his head. "There is nothing to forgive." He dismounted, watching his friend with concern. "Do you feel all right?" he asked, a stab of fear hitting his stomach as he wondered if Ardeth's behavior was due to falling ill. 

Ardeth sighed. "I am fine, just tired."

Safti nodded in relief, as he unpacked a tent and quickly put it up. 

They were both quiet as they ate, sitting close to the fire as the temperature quickly dropped, while night descended. 

To Safti's surprise, Ardeth stood not long after. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Safti watched as he went into the tent, glad that Ardeth would catch up on lost rest, but concerned at the fact that he had gone to sleep without being forced. Safti had expected at least an argument on who would take the first watch.

He tried not to let it bother him as he looked up at the beautiful moon and stars. Perhaps he was becoming paranoid in assuming that the disease would strike his friend. 

The night was thankfully uneventful, with nothing to indicate that Hafeez would suddenly spring himself upon them. Safti kept his watch for as long as possible, not wanting to wake Ardeth. He wished that they had brought a third person with them, so that Ardeth could sleep the entire night. However, they hadn't, so he had no choice. 

Just as Safti opened the flap to the tent, he heard what sounded like a groan come from inside. Pulling it open further, the already lowering moon cast its glow into the tent, and Safti could see Ardeth curled up on his side, his body shaking. 

"Ardeth!" he cried, dropping to his knees beside him. Gathering him in his arms, he pressed a hand to his forehead. 

_No!_ A stab of fear hit Safti's chest, when he found that he was burning with fever. "Ardeth? Look at me!"

Ardeth's eyes were closed, and he was breathing heavily. It appeared that he'd heard him, however, for he opened his eyes a minute later. "Safti?"

Safti nodded, glad that he appeared to be coherent, at least. "Yes, my friend. You are ill!"

Ardeth closed his eyes again, squeezing them shut when pain flared through his body. "Malaria," he whispered. It was a statement, not a question. 

Safti closed his own eyes, in fear for his friend. He opened them when he felt Ardeth's body give a deep shudder, and he gently laid him back down. "Are you cold?" he asked.

Ardeth nodded, not having the energy to answer. 

Safti quickly stood and retrieved every blanket they'd brought with them, draping them around Ardeth and tucking the edges under him. "Do you need anything?" he asked, worriedly. "What can I do, Ardeth?"

Ardeth sighed heavily, feeling his senses drifting. "Pray…"

Safti sat beside him, and did just that.


	6. Splatmoos, Namoos, Whatever! lol

"What?!"

"Oh, come, Rick…"

"No way!"

Evy sighed, as she stood before her husband. "The Med-jai need this medicine! It'll save lives!"

Rick paced, irked—but not surprised—at his wife. She'd found a way to get a hold of Atrobine, the newest drug to treat malaria. It didn't have the nasty side effects that Quinine did. 

"I know that, Evy, I want them to get it as much as you do, but _you_ are _not_ bringing it!"

Evy sighed, as she looked at him. She understood his worry, but she felt an obligation to help. 

"Give the drug to one of the Med-jai that Ardeth sent here," said Rick. "He'll bring it to their camp."

"It'll get to them faster by car!" she said.

Rick turned from her, wanting to pull out his hair. "Evy," he said, in a forced-calm tone. "You're pregnant! I'm not letting you out of my sight while these nuts are out there!" He turned around. "If you went to the camp, what if they attacked? What if there are still live splatmoos there and you get bit?"

"Namoos."

"Whatever!"

Evy sighed, seeing Rick's point. There was no way she'd risk harm to her unborn child. "I wish there was a faster way we could get it to them!"

Rick echoed her sigh. "I'll drive someone."

Evy's eyebrows shot up.

"I'll drive one of them, and drop him off at the camp. Then I'll come home."

Evy nodded. "There'll likely be Med-jai posted beyond the camp where you can drop off whoever you bring. That way you risk no danger of getting bit."

Rick nodded. 

"Take a _few_ of them with you!" she called out, as Rick jogged past her. "There's power in numbers, you'll be safe from Hafeez and his men."

"Right!" he agreed. "_You_ guys!"

Four Med-jai talking in the living room turned to look at him.

"Come with me. We've got a present for your sick buddies."

********************

The rest of the night was a long one, to Safti, who sat up with Ardeth through it. He dozed off once, but Ardeth's spells of delirium woke him. He was torn, indecisive of how to care for him; he couldn't use water to try to bring Ardeth's fever down because he shook with horrible chills, and Safti didn't want to make him feel colder! 

Ardeth wasn't aware of much, hearing Safti speak to him occasionally, but not really understanding what he said. He nearly choked once when Safti tried to give him water and he wasn't ready for it, as he hadn't heard his friend's words. 

Safti was beside himself with worry. Sunrise was fast approaching, and he knew that they were in serious danger of being found by Hafeez. They had no one to act as lookout, since Safti needed to stay inside the tent with Ardeth. 

Safti's worry doubled when he wondered what the desert heat would do to his friend's fever. 

Before he had a chance to dwell on that thought, he suddenly heard a soft groan and looked down at Ardeth, who opened his eyes, blinking weakly. 

"Ardeth?" Safti said, softly, placing a hand on his forehead. He was shocked to see that the fever was greatly diminished. 

"Safti," Ardeth whispered. He closed his eyes again, seeming unable to say more.

"Rest, my friend," Safti said. "You have malaria, you had a high fever all night, but it seems to have greatly reduced."

Ardeth's eyes reopened. "It has?"

Safti nodded.

Ardeth tried to sit. "Help me up. We must continue."

Safti's jaw dropped. "Continue?! Ardeth, you are suffering a life-threatening illness!"

Ardeth sighed, unable to move with Safti's hands firmly holding him down. "Malaria symptoms fluctuate," he said. "There are intervals where they abate." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "We should take advantage of those times." 

Safti blinked, seeing truth in the statement, but the destination he had in mind wasn't the same one Ardeth was thinking of. "You want to continue on to find Hafeez? How do you mean to fight, in this condition?"

Ardeth said nothing. 

"We should take advantage of this time, yes," Safti said. "But to take you _home_, not searching out Hafeez!"

Ardeth gave a slight smile. "We are closer to Hafeez than we are to home."

Safti shook his head, as he thought. "But we are nearer to the 7th tribe. I will take you there."

Ardeth sighed. "I often wonder which of us is the leader."

Safti grinned. "Is it my fault that the leader needs leading?"

Ardeth shot a mock-glare at him, but it was dulled by his sickness. 

Safti reached for the canteen. "Tell me how you feel and do not lie."

Ardeth smiled inwardly; Safti knew him well. "Weak," he answered. He left out the fact that his head was throbbing, as well as various muscles throughout his body.

Safti helped him drink the water, making Ardeth drink past his fill. As Safti put the canteen down again, Ardeth tried to get up but Safti stopped him with a hand against his chest. 

"Not so fast," he said. "You must eat."

Ardeth slowly shook his head. "I am not hungry."

Safti sighed, knowing that nausea was one of malaria's symptoms. _But he needs something to sustain his body while we travel!_

Ardeth knew his thoughts. "Perhaps a little later," he said, just to appease him. 

Safti sighed again. 

"Let us go," Ardeth said, seeing Safti's reluctance. "Before the heat of the day comes."

Safti realized that he had a point, and he carefully helped him stand, holding onto his friend when Ardeth slumped against him, his legs not wanting to hold him.

Ardeth covered his eyes with a hand as the tent spun and his vision clouded over, in response to the low blood pressure caused by malaria. His breath came fast and he could feel his heart pounding hard enough to burst out of his chest, it seemed. It thankfully didn't last _too_ long, and he tried to take some of his weight off Safti.

Safti snorted. His 6'5 frame was extremely strong; he could pick Ardeth up and carry him as if he weighed no more then a child. The only thing keeping him from doing it was Ardeth's pride. 

Ardeth fought the shiver that tried to shake his body as the comforting warmth of the blankets was taken away. The air was still chilly, as the sun was only just rising, but he knew that all too soon it would be unbearably hot. 

Taking a step, Ardeth was grateful that he had Safti to lean on, as the ache in his legs combined with his weakness nearly prevented him from walking. 

Safti helped him out of the tent and sat him on the sand, wrapping one of the blankets around him. He then quickly took down the tent and saddled the horses.

Ardeth watched him, smiling inwardly at how amazingly fast he did it. 

Safti brought the horses to Ardeth, helping him up and assisting him in mounting his steed, which was extremely difficult for the weakened Med-jai Chief.

Safti made sure that Ardeth was stable in the saddle, before mounting his own. "Are you all right?" he asked his friend.

Ardeth nodded, not very convincingly. As they started off, he wondered how long he would be able to remain on the horse.


	7. Doomed!

The drive to the Med-jai camp was quiet but very quick, as Rick sped as fast as his car would go. Evy was right, there was a small group of Med-jai posted a few miles from their camp.

The Med-jai drew their scimitars, but when they saw fellow warriors in the car, they sheathed them.

"Hassan!" one of them said, jumping out of the car. "We have Atropine!"

Hassan, who was apparently commanding the group, dismounted and came closer. "Truly?" 

"That's right," said Rick, remembering having met him before. "My wife has some major connections," he said, taking a suitcase out of the front seat. "She said there are instructions inside."

Hassan looked so relieved that he might've fallen off his horse if he were still on it. "Tell her the Med-jai thank her. And you, also, for bringing it to us."

Rick shrugged. "No problem. I owe the Med-jai a lot."

Hassan smiled, and held out his hand. "Your debt has been paid."

Rick returned the smile and shook it. 

********************

Ardeth was seeing spots. Black dots floated before his vision, and he suddenly realized that it'd been happening for few minutes. His brain was trying to lose consciousness, and a part of him welcomed it.

"Ardeth?" Safti said, seeing his constant blinking. When Ardeth didn't answer him, he said, "We are stopping, do not refuse _this_ time."

Ardeth shook his head, which was a foolish thing to do. His vision turned black as his body finally won the battle he'd been fighting with it, and he slumped forward onto the horse's neck.  

Safti jumped down from his horse and grabbed his friend, quickly pulling him down. Ardeth's eyes were closed, but he made a weak noise of protest. 

Ignoring it, Safti laid Ardeth on his side, facing him away from the sun. After making sure his face rested on the piece of cloth hanging from his turban rather then the searing hot sand, he moved Ardeth's horse to further block the sun from hitting his friend. 

Quickly taking out the tent, he put it up around his barely-conscious chief, and took the canteens off the horses.

"Ardeth?" he said, kneeling beside him, hoping he was conscious enough to drink.

Ardeth opened his eyes, and upon seeing the canteen, attempted to sit up. 

Safti helped him, holding the canteen to his lips. 

Enjoying the refreshing water, Ardeth drank it faster then he should've, and his nauseated stomach nearly revolted. 

Safti pulled the canteen away at Ardeth's groan, and helped him to lie back down. Feeling his forehead, he saw that the fever had returned, with a vengeance. 

Ardeth opened his eyes when he heard Safti's huge sigh, but closed them again when he felt the wonderful coolness of a wet cloth placed on his forehead. He was relieved that he wasn't currently suffering a shuddering chill, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he did. 

Hearing Safti sigh again, he asked, "How far did we get?"

"Not far enough," Safti told him. 

Ardeth had no answer for that, for he fell asleep before he had the chance. 

********************

"O'CONNELL!"

Rick looked up, as he started the engine of his car.

Hassan rode his horse closer to the vehicle. There was a bird on his arm. "We just received this message! We may need your help!"

Rick wondered what they could need him for as he took the piece of paper. His eyes widened as he read that Ardeth and Safti had been briefly spotted and a tent seen later, in the same direction they'd been headed. 

"There would only be one reason for the tent, in the middle of the day," said Hassan.

"Ardeth's sick," said Rick, worriedly. 

Hassan nodded, neither of them considering that it could be Safti. The huge Med-jai was simply too strong, hardly sick a day in his life. 

Rick looked at the paper again, reading the location of the tent. "Coming?" he asked, throwing the car in first gear.

Hassan nodded, yelling a command to some of the warriors, who joined them as they rode off.

********************

Safti quickly opened the tent flap to let in warm air when Ardeth suddenly started to shake with a severe chill. It baffled him how anything could confuse the body so much; to make it feel cold in the unbearable heat. 

As he covered his friend with blankets, he bemoaned the fact that Ardeth's temperature was so high; it seemed utterly foolish—even dangerous—to purposely make him warmer, but he could not bear to watch Ardeth shiver so violently. 

Squeezing his friend's shoulder, Safti tried to hold Ardeth still, hoping that his friend knew that he was there. 

Suddenly Ardeth stilled, his body relaxing limply.

Safti sighed when he saw that he'd lost consciousness, but quickly pulled the blankets off him. Ardeth couldn't feel cold while unconscious, so maybe now Safti could use water to try to bring the fever down without Ardeth being aware of its chilling effects. 

He'd only just put the wet cloth on his friend's forehead when he heard the sound of galloping hooves. Leaping to his feet, he looked out the tent flap. 

A half-dozen men were riding towards them.

_Hafeez!_ Safti's heartbeat increased dramatically, and he frantically looked for his gun, realizing with horror that it was in one of the packs on his horse. If only he'd had it with him, he could quickly shoot a few of the men before they reached the tent, bettering his odds against them.

"Come out, Med-jai!" he suddenly heard.

Barely able to contain a growl, Safti placed a hand on his the hilt of his scimitar. Closing his eyes, he inwardly lifted up a prayer for Ardeth's life, even if he himself didn't survive this.

"MED-JAI!"

Safti shot a look at Ardeth, confirming his unconscious state. He hadn't moved an inch upon hearing their enemy's voice.

As Hafeez opened his mouth to call out again, the tent flap was suddenly smacked open. Hafeez inwardly smiled _and_ groaned to see that it was Safti. Hafeez would love to be the one to kill Ardeth's second-in-command, but he knew that the 6'5 Med-jai was a force to be reckoned with. 

"Bind him!" he commanded his men.

They obeyed, seeming surprised when Safti didn't fight them. 

Safti knew that if he fought, he wouldn't win; he'd only succeed in taking out a few before being killed. He couldn't leave Ardeth to the mercy of their enemies! If he submitted to them, then hopefully he'd be able to stay with Ardeth and protect him. 

Hafeez got down from his horse. "Where is Ardeth Bay?"

Safti said nothing, knowing that lying would be pointless, as Hafeez would obviously look in the tent.

That is exactly what Hafeez did, striding over and opening the flap with his sword. He paused, before quickly entering.

His men looked up when they heard his triumphant cry, watching as Hafeez came back out.

"I see that I have succeeded!" Hafeez snarled in Safti's face. 

Safti clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain quiet.

"Get the mighty Med-jai Chief out of there," said Hafeez, gesturing to the tent. 

His men figured out the situation easily, and a few of them ran to do his bidding.

Safti started to follow, but the tip of Hafeez's sword pressing against his throat stopped him. His anger turned to shock when he heard ominous sounds come from the tent; soft thuds followed by laughter. 

Hafeez saw the look on Safti's face, and was about to yell for his men to bring Ardeth out when they suddenly did, throwing him to the sand and resuming their action of kicking the unconscious Med-jai.

"STOP!" Safti yelled, taking a step forward, ignoring Hafeez's sword.

Hafeez repeated the command, not wanting Ardeth damaged too badly for the moment. 

The men picked Ardeth up and placed him on his horse, tying him to it so he wouldn't fall off. Then they rummaged through it and Safti's, taking all their weapons.

Hafeez motioned for Safti to mount his steed, which the exceptionally strong Med-jai was able to do with his hands tied. 

The feat did not surprise Hafeez at all. He kicked his horse into motion, and they started on; towards a destination that Safti hoped he'd somehow prevent them from reaching.


	8. In the Camp of the Enemy

I wanted to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone for their wonderful reviews! They mean so much to me! :)

Evy walked into the kitchen, to see a half-dozen Med-jai sitting at the table, quietly talking. 

Immediately they stopped, looking up at her.

"Oooh," she said. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just quickly turn on the tea kettle and get out of your hair…" Her voice trailed off when she saw that they obviously had something to tell her. "Is something wrong?"

"Perhaps," one of the Med-jai said.

A knot of fear started to grow in her stomach. _Rick…_"Has something happened to my husband?!"

The young Med-jai shook his head, standing. "No, Mrs. O'Connell, please be calm." 

Evy nodded, taking a breath and sitting with them. "What is it then, Nafid?"

Nafid sat again. "It is a very real possibility that Ardeth has fallen ill."

Evy gasped. "What?! Oh no!" She suddenly noticed the strange words. "A 'possibility'?"

Nafid nodded. "A tent and two horses were spotted in the direction that Ardeth and Safti were heading in. The only reason for a tent in the middle of the day would be if something was wrong with one of them."

"And you doubt that it's Safti," said Evy.

Everyone nodded. 

Evy let out a huge sigh.

"But that is not all," Nafid said.

Evy frowned.

"Your husband chose to go there rather then come back home," he told her.

Evy's eyebrows shot up. Before she said anything, she realized that this was a _good_ thing; Rick had the Atropine with him. If Ardeth truly was sick, then Rick could give him the drug.

"We knew it would be foolish of us to keep the news from you," said Nafid.

Evy looked at him, to see a slight smile on his face. "That's right." The teakettle started to whistle and she looked towards the stove with a sigh. Her thirst had quickly fled at the thought of her dear friend Ardeth suffering malaria.

********************

Safti had no choice but to submit to being lead to Hafeez's camp. His hands were tied behind him and his horse was being lead by one of Hafeez's men. Even if he got his hands free—which he believed he could—it was useless, for Ardeth's horse was kept as far away from him as possible. 

To Safti's utter dismay, he realized that he and Ardeth's surmising had apparently been correct; they were heading in the direction of the latest patrol from the 7th tribe. Hafeez and his men must have attacked the Med-jai patrol and replaced them, likely stealing their robes and horses. 

They arrived at their destination in the evening, and Safti was shocked when they put him and Ardeth together in the same tent. When they were left alone, he immediately freed himself from his bonds, faster then Hafeez could've imagined.

"Ardeth?" He knelt beside his motionless friend, feeling his forehead. The fever was raging, seemingly higher—if possible—then it had been before Hafeez had captured them. He wondered if it was an effect of the glaring sunlight as they'd traveled, and he hoped that some of the heat in his skin would decrease now that they were sheltered. 

Safti saw that there was a canteen in the tent, and he reached out for it, hoping that it wasn't empty. With an immense sigh of relief, he found that it wasn't; there was a small amount of water still in it. Although it might not be safe to drink—as Safti didn't know how old it was— at least he could use it to try to bring Ardeth's fever down. 

Grabbing the end of his robe, Safti ripped off a wide strip and shook sand from it. Ripping it in half, he quickly folded one piece and soaked it with the water, laying it on his friend's forehead. He soaked the other and gently wiped it across Ardeth's face, washing away the sweat and searching his features for any sign of consciousness…but finding none. 

With a sigh, he tried to comfort himself with thoughts of his lonely tent sitting out in the desert. He knew that someone would come upon it and know that they'd been captured; a Med-jai would ever leave a tent and all their supplies behind. It was a huge error on Hafeez's part, one that Safti hoped his enemy would soon regret.

********************

"It looks deserted."

Hassan nodded, as Rick drove towards the tent. There were no horses outside it, and that didn't make much sense.

Braking the car to a stop, Rick and the four Med-jai got out, while Hassan and his group dismounted from their steeds. 

Rick headed straight for the tent, and threw the flap open. 

It was empty.

Rick sighed; crouching to pick up a piece of cloth that he could tell had once been wet. The kind of cloth that could be laid on a feverish person's forehead…

Hearing a sigh, he looked up to see Hassan standing behind him, obviously thinking the same thought. 

"Hafeez has captured them."

Rick stood up quickly. "What?! How do you know?"

Hassan simply beckoned for him to follow, and Rick did, quickly joining the group of warriors. 

Looking down, Rick saw a multitude of horse prints, leading to the tiny campsite and then riding away. Without a word, he ran back to his car, leaping in and starting the engine.

Hassan mounted his horse, smiling inwardly at the realization of why Ardeth valued Rick's friendship so much. He'd seen the man a few times, but had never had the chance to fight with him. Hassan could see that where Ardeth's safety was concerned, Rick O'Connell was a good man to have by his side. 

Turning his horse around, he kicked it into a gallop, following the convenient horse prints left by Hafeez and his men.

********************

*thunk*

Safti looked up, slightly startled. Hafeez was standing inside the tent, and had thrown a canteen at him. 

Safti was surprised, and he picked it up, taking the cap off to find it filled to the brim. He sighed in relief, knowing that the journey through the desert combined with the high fever had likely dehydrated Ardeth badly.

"Revive him," Hafeez said.

Safti made a face. "Revive him? He has a dangerously high fever thanks to an illness that _you_ caused! He may not wake for days!"

Hafeez made a face. "You have until he wakes to live, Med-jai, for I aim to kill you in front of him."

Safti showed no reaction to that, knowing that Hafeez wanted a fearful reply. 

"Revive him," the enemy repeated.

Safti sighed as he turned back to Ardeth, gently holding his head up as he slowly dripped some water into his mouth. _Do not wake, Ardeth…_he silently thought. _We need more time…_

"Hafeez?"

Hafeez turned, when one of his men came into the tent. 

Safti tried to hear what was said, but didn't catch the words. He suddenly _felt_ rather then _heard_ Hafeez leave, and he knew that the enemy had thought him so focused on his friend that he wouldn't notice. 

"Ardeth!" Safti whispered, suddenly getting an idea as he dribbled more water into his mouth. "Please, wake up!"

To his shock, his friend's eyes opened slightly, and Safti felt almost dizzy with relief. 

"Do not talk," Safti whispered, quietly. "You must fake unconsciousness. Hafeez has us. Do you understand?"

Ardeth's eyes looked dazed and glassy, and they quickly slipped shut again. Safti wasn't sure if he'd heard him or not. "Ardeth?"

Suddenly the tent flap opened again as Hafeez snuck back in. Seeing Ardeth still limp, eyes closed, he thought him still unconscious. 

Safti made no movement, allowing Hafeez to think he'd come and gone without his knowledge. 

"He will not wake," Hafeez stated, rather then asked.

Safti shook his head as he continued to give Ardeth water. 

"It looks as if you have been given some time, Med-jai," Hafeez snarled. "I shall return."

Safti sighed with relief when Hafeez left, then waited until he was sure he was gone before he returned his attention to his friend.

"Ardeth?"

Ardeth groaned softly, curling up as his body started to shake once more.

Safti sighed, seeing that there were no blankets in the tent. Having never seen someone suffering malaria before, he now knew why people referred to the terrible disease as, 'the shakes'.

So Safti could do nothing but try to hold his friend still, inwardly lifting up a prayer that Ardeth would survive, and get over the sickness quickly…and that someone, _anyone_, would rescue them soon.


	9. The Cavalry Arrives! YAY!

"Didja ever notice that the badguys always hide at the bottom of a big sand dune?"

Hassan nodded, shooting a look of amusement at Rick, as they lay at the top of said dune, watching Hafeez as he quickly walked to two of his men. 

"I'm betting that Ardeth and Safti are in the tent Hafeez just walked out of," said Rick.

"I agree," said Hassan.

Rick took out a rifle and pointed it, closing one eye as he aimed. "Eeeny, meeny, miney, moe, shoot a badguy in the toe…"

Hafeez jumped when he heard a sudden gunshot, and watched as the man he was talking to jerked and fell to the sand. 

"One down," said Rick. "Five more to go."

Hafeez's other men scattered, pulling out their swords and guns, looking for the source of the shot. Before they found it, another shot rang out, and a second man fell. 

"The dune!" someone yelled.

Hafeez looked up, to see Med-jai warriors charging towards them. He turned, intent on going back into the tent housing his prisoners. If he was about to die, he was going to take his two enemies with him.

Pain suddenly shot through his leg as a bullet tore into it, and he fell to the sand. Before he had a chance to raise his own gun, a horse pulled up beside him and the tip of a scimitar was pointed in his face.

Hassan got down from his horse, kicking the gun away from his enemy. "Stand!" he exclaimed. 

Hafeez tried to back away, looking around for someone to help him, not realizing that his remaining men had already been dealt with. 

"I said STAND!" Hassan yelled.

Hafeez did—or tried to, his leg bleeding profusely. 

"You wish for a quick death, do you not?" Hassan asked. "Do you think that I would _really_ give that to you, after what you have done?"

Hafeez was visibly pale. "P-please…"

"PLEASE?" Hassan said, laughing. "I think not."

With that, he shot Hafeez in the other leg, watching as the man fell to the sand again. "You dared follow Lock-nah; Ardeth's worse enemy, a man guilty of many crimes against the Med-jai people and other innocents. You dared follow Imhotep, the walking plague on Earth!"

Hafeez was trembling, his hands held up as if to protect himself. 

Hassan advanced on him. "You DARED to attempt revenge on Ardeth and the Med-jai, by infesting our camp with malaria-carrying namoos. No, you do not _deserve_ a quick death!"

With that, he shot Hafeez again, in the right side of his midsection; a non-fatal wound in itself… Hafeez would have to bleed to death in order to die.

Satisfied at his enemy's suffering, Hassan went into the tent, to see Rick and Safti wrapping Ardeth in blankets from one of the warrior's packs. 

At the sight of his chieftain shaking with such great chills, he sighed, a knot of fear growing in his stomach. 

"Let's get him out of here!" said a nervous Rick. 

Safti shook his head. "He is unfit for travel. His fever is very high; the long journey to our tribe would surely kill him!"

Rick suddenly paled. "Oh…oh, _no_ way."

"What?" Hassan asked.

Rick looked at him, with a stricken expression. "The drug! We should've brought some with us!"

Hassan's jaw dropped. 

"Drug?" said Safti.

Rick nodded. "Evy got her hands on Atrobine. I brought it to the tribe…"

Safti smiled, at that. "Thank you, my friend."

Rick waved his arm in an 'anytime' gesture. "But it doesn't do Ardeth any good!" he said with a sigh.

"I have an idea!" Hassan suddenly exclaimed.

Safti looked up, but then back down at Ardeth when he groaned. 

"My tribe has Quinine," said Hassan, more quietly, not even knowing that his tribe had been Safti and Ardeth's destination anyway. 

Rick looked up, confused. "_Your_ tribe? You aren't a member of Ardeth's?" 

Hassan shook his head. "I am Second-in-command of the 7th tribe. I volunteered to go to the 1st to help protect it," he explained. "Recently, a few of our warriors went on a journey very far to the south, and soon after returning came down with malaria. We obtained Quinine from a contact in Cairo."

"Did they survive?" Rick asked.

Hassan nodded. "Yes…but the side effects of the drug weren't pleasant."

Rick sighed. "Evy knew that, that's why she got Atrobine instead." 

"Enough talk!" Safti exclaimed, gathering Ardeth in his arms. "Let us go!"

Everyone stood back as Safti lifted Ardeth as if he were weightless, and quickly left the tent.

They all followed, and Rick saw Hassan stop beside the still-alive Hafeez, who was groaning in agony. 

Hassan took out his gun once more, and shot Hafeez again, killing him instantly. 

Rick was slightly surprised that he didn't let Hafeez bleed to death, and shot him a questioning look.

"We are not barbarians," said Hassan, walking past Rick to his horse. 

Rick's respect for the Med-jai jumped dramatically. Even though Hafeez deserved a slow death, Hassan had shown him mercy. "Hey, how come you didn't use your sword on him?" he suddenly realized, as he quickly put the top up on the car, not wanting Ardeth to bake in the hot desert sun.

Hassan mounted his horse beside him. "I did not want that dog's blood marring my scimitar."

Rick didn't expect that for an answer, and chuckled, shaking his head. Getting in the car, he started the engine and turned around to see Safti in the backseat, tightly clutching the still-shaking Ardeth, while the four Med-jai that had come in the car with Rick mounted the horses belonging to the late Hafeez and his men. 

At a look from Rick, Hassan galloped off, leading the way towards the 7th tribe; to finally get help for Ardeth. 


	10. Unexpected Problem

"How much longer is this ride?"

Safti looked around himself, trying to get his bearings in the backseat of the car. "A few more hours, at least."

Rick sighed. It would be dark before then. "How's Ardeth doing?"

Safti sighed loudly. "He just lost consciousness."

Rick sighed too. "That's better than suffering, though."

Safti nodded, carefully pulling the blankets off his friend, and pushing them to the floor. 

No one spoke for a long time, Rick frequently looking in his rear-view mirror to check on Ardeth, who remained motionless. He began to wonder if they would have to stop and camp overnight. If they did, he hoped it wouldn't make Ardeth's chance of recovery—or _survival_—any worse. 

It was after dark when Hassan stopped his horse, looking around impatiently. 

"What?" Rick called.

Hassan rode closer, trying to avoid being blinded by the car's headlights. "We will not reach it tonight."

Rick had to force himself to not yell, 'ARGH!'

"It appears that the camp has moved," Hassan continued.

Rick blinked. "The 7th tribe moved?"

Hassan nodded.

"Without your knowledge? How the heck will you find out _where_?!" Rick exclaimed, shocked.

"I know where they have gone."

Rick blinked. "You do?"

"It is not so difficult, Rick," said Safti, opening the door and climbing out, with the still unconscious Ardeth in his arms. "We prepare for times like these. They obviously found out about the situation with Hafeez and their missing patrol and so they moved."

"It is planned," said Hassan, starting to pitch a tent. "When a tribe makes an emergency move, they go to a planned location."

Rick's sighed noisily. "That's a relief!"

Safti said nothing, as he opened a canteen and tried to get some water into Ardeth, purposely leaving the blankets off him, hoping the cold desert air would bring his fever down. As much as Safti knew that prolonged unconsciousness was a bad sign, he hoped Ardeth would stay out for as long as possible overnight, least he suffer chills and need to be covered up again. 

Hassan finished the tent quickly and Safti brought Ardeth inside, where they made him comfortable. 

Safti was upset to find that Ardeth was drenched with sweat, until he realized that the wetness would work with the cold air to cool him further. 

"What should I do?" Rick asked, behind him.

Safti wordlessly gestured for him to go to Ardeth's other side.

Rick complied, catching the wet cloth Safti tossed at him. 

Safti dampened a second cloth and wiped sand from Ardeth's face, which he'd gotten from lying on his horse during the journey with Hafeez.

Rick placed his cloth on Ardeth's forehead, watching Safti work. "How bad is he?"

"Bad," Safti answered, with a sigh. "I have never seen a man suffer malaria before. Despite knowing the effects, I was not sure what to expect."

Rick nodded. "And it doesn't help when it's your best friend, either."

Safti nodded back, with another sigh. "The first night, he suffered a high fever, chills, and delirium, but when morning came, his fever was much lower. We rode on, hoping to make it to the 7th tribe, which was closer to us then our own."

Rick nodded as he listened.

"But Ardeth didn't make it long enough…his fever came raging back, and we were forced to stop." Safti sighed, leaving the wet cloth sitting on Ardeth's upper chest at the top of his robe's opening. "Hafeez found us and forced us to go with him."

Rick looked back down at Ardeth, knowing that Safti couldn't fight the men alone. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Ardeth's face twitch and he groaned, very softly.

"Ardeth?" Rick said, touching his arm.

Ardeth twitched again, squeezing his eyes tight. 

Rick felt the arm under his hand start shivering, and he watched as Ardeth's eyes opened.

Safti smiled, trying to reassure his sick friend. "How do you feel, Ardeth?"

Ardeth blinked a few times, saying nothing, his shivering increasing. He tried to shift his position, but he was too weak to move, the fever taking a serious toll on his body. 

Safti started muttering, at the obvious need for blankets. He'd hoped to avoid that, knowing that keeping Ardeth warm would help the fever to remain. 

Rick saw Safti's distress as he dug out some blankets, draping them over their suffering friend. 

"Ardeth? Can you hear me?" Safti asked, alarmed by his blank stare.

Ardeth still said nothing, as he tried again to roll onto his side, in an automatic attempt to curl up to keep himself warmer. 

Rick and Safti helped him, saddened to watch his struggle. 

"We've gotta get him to that camp!" said Rick, in desperation.

Safti nodded, with a sigh. "As much as I fear what the side effects of the Quinine will do to him…if it makes Ardeth survive, then…"

Rick echoed the sigh, understanding his mixed feelings..._he_ had them too. 

The tent flap suddenly opened, as Hassan came back in. "How is he?"

"Bad," Rick told him, using Safti's earlier description. 

Hassan sighed, inwardly kicking himself for not thinking of bringing some Atrobine with him. Glancing at Rick, he could see that he was thinking the same thing.


	11. The 7th Tribe

Thank you everyone AGAIN for the wonderful reviews! I'm SO glad you're all enjoying this story so much! (And yes, Aulizia, you _were_ the 100th reviewer, lol!) 

That night was a repeat of the first night that Ardeth had fallen ill. Every waking moment for him was spent in delirium or incoherency. Morning couldn't come soon enough, as they knew that despite Ardeth's condition, they had to leave as soon as possible; getting him to the 7th tribe was looking to be a matter of life or death.

The moment that light became visible, they quickly disassembled the campsite and were again on their way. Everyone was exhausted, having been awake most of the night trying to calm Ardeth through hallucinations and nightmares brought on by his fever. 

Rick felt foggy as he drove, and the glare from the sun was downright painful. Wherever the 7th tribe was, he hoped they'd find it soon.

Safti was drawing on reserves that he was very blessed to have. He was tired, but his mind was clear. Ardeth appeared to be asleep, not unconscious, and Safti was very much relieved that his friend's sleep was currently calm and undisturbed. 

Ardeth slept the whole way to the camp, and when they spotted Med-jai on horeback, Rick was overjoyed—for it meant that they were nearly there.

The 7th tribe's lookouts were shocked to find out that a very sick Ardeth Bay was in the approaching vehicle, and one of the warriors rode ahead, to make sure that they _did_ still have the Quinine. 

When Rick drove into the camp, the 7th tribe was in a state of anxiety, upon hearing the bad news regarding their Chieftain. 

Jumping out of the car, he opened the door for Safti.

"In here!" he heard. 

Looking behind himself, Rick saw an older Med-jai beckoning to them. Turning back to the car, Rick closed the door after Safti climbed out, and followed him as he carried Ardeth to the tent.

"Lie him down, lie him down!" said the old man, who was obviously a healer.

Rick inwardly made a face. What did he think, Safti was going to carry him in and then just stand there? _Get a grip, Rick! _he told himself.

Safti laid Ardeth down, and watched as the healer assessed him. "Do you still have Quinine?" he asked, nervously.

The healer nodded.

Rick, Safti, and Hassan all sighed with relief. 

"How long has he been like this?" the man asked, bringing a cup to Ardeth's lips.

"Three days," Safti told him. "He was also repeatedly kicked by Hafeez's minions."

The man sighed as he gave Ardeth, who seemed to be half awake, little sips of the drug.

"What?" Rick asked. "He's gonna live, right? I mean, there's no chance of him dying now that he has the drug, right?"

The healer said nothing, and his silence made Rick's stomach drop.

"I can not say for sure," the still unnamed man said, frowning at the bruises he found on Ardeth's torso. "His fever is extremely high, and with his condition being so depleted, he is at increased risk of serious side effects from the Quinine."

Rick, Safti, and Hassan shot each other fearful looks. 

"We have Atrobine, at the 1st tribe," said Rick. "We can go get it and have it back here in a day."

The old man shook his head as he felt his patient for broken ribs. "We can not switch him from one drug to another. By the time you get back he will have had three or four doses of the Quinine. He will have to remain on it."

Rick's expression looked heartbroken. _If only I'd used my brain and thought of that! _he told himself. _Now Ardeth's gonna suffer even more…all thanks to me!_

"It is not your fault."

Rick turned, to see Hassan shaking his head. 

"_None_ of us thought of it." Hassan sighed. "By the time we did, it was too late."

He heard Safti echo the sigh. "We can not change what has already been."

_Maybe not, but I can feel guilty for being stupid! _Rick told himself. 

The tent flap suddenly opened as someone else entered. "How is he, Jamir?"

The healer didn't look up from his work. "Not good, Commander."

Rick turned, upon realizing that this man was the head of the 7th tribe. 

"O'Connell," he said, never having met Rick, but nonetheless knowing who he was. "I am Shajar, Commander of this tribe."

Rick nodded at him by way of a greeting.

"Has Hafeez been dealt with?" Shajar asked, softly, looking back to Ardeth, who was lying extremely still, thankfully not in the middle of a shaking chill.

"Yeah," said Rick, watching as Jamir finished probing Ardeth's ribs—apparently not finding any that were broken—and then tried to get more water into him. "Hassan did the honors."

Shajar looked at Hassan, having not noticed him yet. With a sigh of relief, he gave his friend a clap on the back. 

Hassan acknowledged him with a nod, sparing him only a glance before turning back to watch Jamir giving Ardeth more water. 

"What are his chances?" Shajar asked, not having been there when Rick had asked.

Jamir sighed. "I can not say." He pulled the canteen away when it became obvious that Ardeth was no longer trying to drink it…having lost consciousness once again. "We can only wait."


	12. Major Complication

Ardeth was unconscious through the entire day, not moving, not waking, nothing at all. 

Naturally, when night fell was when the problems started. 

Jamir was right about the side effects of the Quinine, which they'd all feared. One of the more serious ones was an irregular heartbeat, which Ardeth developed. It was a documented side effect, and so Jamir was on the lookout for it. He expected it in Ardeth's case; with his seriously depleted state, Jamir had a feeling Ardeth's body would rebel against the drug. So when it started, the healer was extremely upset. 

He almost didn't tell anyone about it, as he felt Ardeth's pulse beating wildly. Rick was sitting nearby, half asleep, fighting to stay awake to be there for his friend, despite his lost sleep over the past 36 hours. 

Safti was in a similar state; he'd been awake far longer then Rick, and it was catching up to the giant Med-jai. It was the subconscious noting of his brain that the healer had not let go of Ardeth's wrist that made Safti slightly more alert. "Jamir?" 

Jamir looked at him. "Yes?"

"What is wrong?" Safti asked, scooting a little closer. 

"What?" said Rick, jerking out of his doze.

Jamir sighed. "The drug has affected his heartbeat."

Rick grabbed Ardeth's other wrist, to feel for himself. "Oh man!" he exclaimed. "Is it permanent?"

Jamir shook his head. "No, but it'll probably stay with him on and off for the months that he is on the drug."

Rick blinked. "Wait, I didn't catch that, it sounded like you said 'months'."

Jamir nodded, still monitoring Ardeth's pulse. "I said 'months'. Malaria is a recurring disease, so he will have to take the Quinine for about four months."

"WHAT!" Rick exclaimed. "You've got to be _kidding_ me!"

Jamir shook his head. 

Rick sputtered, unable to get out any real words. "I can't _believe_ this!" he finally said, dropping his face into his hands. 

Safti felt sorry for him, knowing that Rick was blaming himself for not bringing some of the Atrobine. But before he could say anything, Ardeth suddenly made a pained sound.

"Do not let him move!" Jamir said, grabbing Ardeth's shoulders. 

The seriousness of the situation helped Rick and Safti shake off their drowsiness as they both reached for Ardeth, trying to keep him still when he began to move around. 

Safti's strength was far too great for the weakened Med-jai Chieftain, and when Jamir saw that he was pretty much under control, he grabbed Ardeth's wrist again, to see if his heartbeat was any worse. It was faster, but no more uneven. 

Ardeth groaned, squeezing his eyes tight. He tried to get his arms free from Safti's grasp but he held onto them tightly, trying to be gentle at the same time. 

"Safti…" Ardeth suddenly whispered. "Let…go…"

Shocked to see Ardeth apparently lucid, Safti complied, releasing his hold, watching as Ardeth put one hand on his head and covered his eyes with the other. 

Jamir knew that headache was a side effect of the drug, but it was also a symptom of the disease. "Move that lantern," he told Rick, motioning to one that was near Ardeth's face. 

Rick realized that the light was increasing his pain, and he placed it behind his own body. "Ardeth? Can you hear me?" he said. 

Ardeth said nothing, and Rick felt a shiver of fear when he saw Ardeth's body twitch and give a shake. It wasn't like the many chills he'd suffered. 

"The fever," Jamir said, rewetting the cloth on Ardeth's forehead. "It is becoming too much, his body has grown too weak to fight it."

"Ardeth?" Rick said again, in fear. Ardeth still didn't answer him, and Rick realized that perhaps he had not been lucid after all; was it possible that Ardeth's mind subconsciously knew that it was Safti who was preventing him from moving?

"When is the drug gonna work?!" Rick asked, frantically.

"It usually takes two or three days for the Quinine to begin lowering his fever," said the healer. "It is almost time for the next dose."

Rick sighed, to hear that it took so 'long'. Seeing movement beside him, he turned to see Safti attempting to stand. 

"I need to stretch my legs," Safti told them. "I shall return."

They nodded at him and Safti left the tent, stopping outside it. With a sigh, he brought a hand up to rub his forehead, which had started to ache within the past few hours. _Please, _he prayed, _do not let me become ill also…Ardeth needs me. _A breeze blew past him and he dropped his hand, looking up at the star-lit night. The moon was no longer full, but it was a comforting sight to Safti; confirming that God was up there and had heard his prayer.


	13. Another Patient?

The next morning found Rick and Safti both asleep, on the promise that if Ardeth worsened, then Jamir would wake them. 

Jamir was quite used to being up all night tending the sick, and was able to handle the sleepless night without much difficulty. When Rick and Safti awoke, he would try to get some sleep himself, as he knew that Ardeth needed much attention and he had to be as alert as possible.

Suddenly a soft groan filled the air, and Rick jumped, looking around, his gaze settling on the motionless Ardeth. He was about to ask Jamir how Ardeth was doing, when he realized that Jamir was looking at _Safti_ with a frown. It was then that Rick realized that the groan had not come from Ardeth's direction. 

"Safti?" said Rick, turning over and crawling the few feet to him.

Safti opened his eyes. "What? Ardeth?" He sat up, thinking something was wrong.

"You okay?" Rick asked. 

Safti brought a hand up to his forehead. "I am fine, why?"

"You just groaned in your sleep. Don't tell me you're sick too!" Rick exclaimed, sounding nervous. 

Safti saw that he couldn't hide it any longer. "I have a headache."

Jamir left Ardeth's side, quickly going to Safti's and feeling his forehead. "No fever. When did it begin?"

"Yesterday," said Safti. 

"How bad is it?" Jamir asked.

Safti shrugged. "Not too bad."

"Are you prone to headaches?" Jamir asked.

"No," Safti said, sounding nervous. 

Jamir was quiet for a minute.

"Well?!" said Rick. "Does he have malaria?"

"You said Ardeth was sick for three days before you arrived here?" said Jamir. "Were you awake with him through the nights?"

Safti nodded. "Yes, he needed much care, he was delirious and chilled."

"Your headache may be from exhaustion," said Jamir. "My guess is that you did not eat properly either?"

Safti realized that was true. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Ardeth has not had any food since the first night he became ill…I could not get him to eat and then he was unconscious…"

Jamir sighed, at that. Ardeth's body needed strength to fight his illness, and he couldn't gain strength without nourishment. "Rick, could you go get some food? Enough for all of us, including Ardeth. Perhaps we can get him to eat."

Rick nodded and left the tent. 

Safti scooted closer to Ardeth, feeling his forehead to see if it was any cooler. "His fever has not diminished," he said, with a sigh.

Jamir shook his head. "Not yet."

Safti felt Ardeth's pulse next, to see that it was just as erratic as the previous night. With a sigh, he scrubbed his hands over his face. 

Jamir was about to say something to him when Rick suddenly came running back in, carrying bowls.

The smell of stew made Safti's stomach growl, and he realized with relief that his headache probably _was_ due to tiredness and hunger, not malaria. 

Rick put the bowl of stew down, along with a bowl of fruit and another containing assorted nuts. 

Safti took the empty bowl that Rick handed him and filled it up. The food was delicious, and Safti watched as Jamir attempted to wake Ardeth.

"Ardeth?" he whispered, gently squeezing his arm. "Ardeth, wake up."

Rick and Safti watched, hoping that Ardeth wasn't unconscious. 

"Ardeth?" Jamir said again, lightly shaking him.

Ardeth remained motionless.

Rick shot a stricken look at Safti. 

Jamir sighed, trying to hold back a yawn.

"Get some sleep, Jamir," said Rick. "We'll keep an eye on him."

Jamir nodded. "If anything happens, wake me. Try to wake him and get him to eat."

Rick and Safti both nodded. 

Jamir got up and settled a few feet away, leaving room around Ardeth for the two of them. 

Safti took the healer's place, and Rick settled on Ardeth's other side. 

"Feel any better?" Rick asked Safti.

Safti smiled at Rick's concern. "Yes, I do."

Rick sighed with relief. "Good, 'cause I think I'd have a hard time taking care of _both_ of ya."

Safti chuckled, recognizing Rick's way of joking to relieve stress. 

A snore suddenly erupted from Jamir and Rick glanced at him, making a face. "Poor old guy."

Safti nodded. "He has been a healer since he was very young."

Rick stuffed the rest of his stew in his mouth and put the bowl down, reaching over and shaking Ardeth. "Hey buddy, wake up!"

Ardeth opened his eyes immediately, and Rick pulled his arm away, not expecting him to wake up so easily. 

"How do you feel, Ardeth?" Safti asked, also surprised at his fast waking.

Ardeth said nothing, blinking his eyes repeatedly. 

Rick and Safti looked at each other, wondering if he was coherent. 

"Do you know who we are, Ardeth?" Rick asked.

Ardeth suddenly looked at him. "What?"

Rick frowned. "Do you know who I am?"

Ardeth closed his eyes, and after a minute they thought he'd fallen back to sleep.

"Rick," he suddenly said, opening them again. "And Safti."

They smiled at that, wondering why he was still blinking. 

"We have food, Ardeth," Safti said. "You must eat."

Ardeth didn't look happy at the idea, but he nodded slowly, knowing that it was necessary. 

Rick looked around for something to prop Ardeth up with, and he saw a trunk not far from where he sat. Standing up, he grabbed it and carefully dragged it over, draping blankets over it so it wouldn't feel hard against Ardeth's back.

Safti carefully pulled Ardeth to a sitting position, noting his friend's complete lack of strength as he leaned against him. Safti watched as Rick brought the trunk closer, and they leaned Ardeth against it, Rick sticking a wadded up blanket behind his head to act as a pillow. 

Ardeth couldn't prevent the groan that came as everything started spinning. 

Rick and Safti watched, waiting for Ardeth to open his eyes again. When he did, Safti offered him a piece of meat.

Ardeth looked like he had no desire to eat it but he did, chewing slowly. He was extremely grateful when it didn't upset his stomach. After a few bites, he realized that he was extremely thirsty. "Water?" 

Rick grabbed a canteen and held it to his lips, not surprised when Ardeth drank every drop that it contained. 

As Safti gave Ardeth another piece, he wondered how long his lucidity would last. "Ardeth, Hafeez is dead and we are at the 7th tribe."

Ardeth said nothing at first, his eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

Safti frowned. This was the second time that Ardeth hadn't heard what was said to him. "I said that Hafeez is dead," he repeated, louder and more slowly. "We are at the 7th tribe. They have Quinine."

Ardeth blinked a few times, before slowly nodding his head. His eyes closed and stayed that way. 

"Ardeth?" said Rick. 

Ardeth sighed, not reopening his eyes.

"Ardeth," Rick repeated, shaking his arm. "You didn't eat enough."

"No more," Ardeth whispered. 

Rick sighed, looking at Safti, who echoed it as he reached out for Ardeth and held him up while Rick moved the trunk. 

"Maybe we can wake him in a little while and try again," Rick whispered. 

Safti nodded as they gently lowered Ardeth down again. 

Suddenly the tent flap opened. "How is he?" asked Hassan.

Rick shrugged. "He was awake for a few minutes, we got him to eat a little."

Hassan smiled. "That is good. Has his fever diminished?"

They shook their heads. 

"Jamir said that it usually takes a two or three days for any improvements," said Safti.

Hassan nodded, with a sigh. "I sent a message to the 1st tribe, notifying them that Hafeez is no more."

Rick looked up. "Did you tell them about Ardeth?"

Hassan nodded. 

"So they'll send a message to my house telling the Med-jai there that there's no more danger…and that Ardeth is sick," Rick said.

Hassan nodded. "I would imagine so."

Rick sighed, covering his eyes with one hand.

"What is it?" Safti asked.

"My wife," said Rick. "When she hears about Ardeth…"

Safti's eyes widened. "Ah."

"I do not understand," said Hassan, with a frown.

"I don't want her to make a 2-day trip through the desert," said Rick. "She's pregnant."

"Ah, I see," said Hassan. "Congratulations!"

Rick smiled. "Thanks."

"Perhaps Rick could send a message to his home?" Safti asked.

Hassan nodded. "Of course."

Rick stood up and followed him out of the tent, taking the small slip of paper that Hassan handed him and quickly writing a message on it. _I hope it gets there in time, _he thought, watching the bird take flight. 

********************

"Hurry up, Jonathan!" Evy exclaimed, putting a suitcase near the door. "We need to hurry!"

"All right, all right!" Jonathan answered, running to the door as Evy ran off again.

As he grabbed the handle, the door suddenly opened, and a Med-jai walked in. "This message has come for you," he told him.

"Really?" said Jonathan, taking and reading it. 

_If you let Evy leave that house, you are a dead man._

_Rick_

Jonathan gulped. "Uh, Evy!"


	14. Just When You Thought it was Safe

The next day was a happy day for the Med-jai; Ardeth's fever started to go down. It was a very slow process, but it had _finally_ begun.

Rick and Safti had actually started the day in a state of depression. The previous afternoon, when Jamir had woken from his sleep, they had told him everything that went on while caring for Ardeth, and mentioned his constant blinking and the fact that they had to repeat much of what they said to him. 

Jamir had sighed, telling them that trouble hearing and seeing were more side effects of the Quinine. 

Rick and Safti had been very upset to hear that, and they both wondered what other terrible things Ardeth would have to endure before this nightmare was over.  

It was shortly after noon. Jamir was napping after another night of taking care of Ardeth, so Rick and Safti had again taken over. They had succeeded in waking Ardeth and feeding him, but he fell asleep in-between bites.

"Ardeth," said Rick, gently shaking him. "You need to eat more then that."

Their patient opened his eyes halfway, but closed them again. 

"You can not regain strength without food!" Safti persisted. 

Ardeth sighed, reopening his eyes and blinking when Safti's face turned a little fuzzy. 

Rick continued to feed him, and Ardeth submitted until he couldn't eat another bite, shaking his head in refusal.

"How long?" They didn't expect his sudden question. 

Rick and Safti frowned. 

"How long has it been since you got sick, you mean?" Rick asked.

Ardeth nodded.

"Five days," Safti told him, glad to see that Ardeth was actually staying awake long enough to talk to. "We are at the 7th tribe and you are being given Quinine. It is causing you some side effects."

Ardeth nodded, being aware of his irregular heartbeat and the fuzziness of his vision. His ears were ringing too, and he wondered if that was also a side effect or due to exhaustion. 

"Hafeez?" he asked.

"Dead," said Safti. "Hassan killed him."

Ardeth nodded with relief, closing his eyes again. 

Safti took the cloth off his brow and dropped it into a bowl to rewet it, placing his hand on Ardeth's forehead to see if his temperature had changed. 

Rick saw Safti's look of shock, and frowned nervously. "What?"

"It is lower!" Safti exclaimed.

Rick's eyebrows shot up and a smile grew on his face. "It is? _All right_!"

Ardeth winced at Rick's raised voice, before he too smiled at the news. 

Rick reached over to see for himself, and Ardeth was encouraged by the grin that remained on his face. 

"Hey buddy," said Rick. "Looks like you're gonna make it!" 

********************

Ardeth's fever stayed the same for the rest of the day, but the fact that it didn't rise again kept everyone's spirits up. Word spread through the tribe that he was improving, and everyone rejoiced that it looked like he would live. 

Rick sent a message to his home informing Evy, and was relieved to get an answer back from her; it meant that Jonathan had heeded Rick's warning and kept her at home. However, Evy's reply said that when Ardeth was moved back to the 1st tribe that nothing would stop her from meeting them there. 

Ardeth's horrible chills had changed with the short fall in his temperature; when he got chilled now, he merely shivered, rather then the terrible shaking. It was an improvement that everyone was overjoyed about.

Despite the improvement, Jamir didn't slack off on the care for his patient, but rather he was even more diligent, hoping to bring the fever down even lower. He didn't succeed that day, but he kept trying, knowing that the process would be slow. 

With a tired sigh, Jamir rewet the cloth and placed it on Ardeth's forehead for the millionth time. Looking towards Rick and Safti, he envied them their sleep. 

The tent flap suddenly opened as someone walked in. Jamir looked up, but wasn't sure who it was, as it was night and the man had a cloth shrouding his face.

"How is he?" a voice asked, coming close.

Jamir shrugged. "Asleep. His fever has not changed since it lowered this afternoon." As he spoke, he didn't notice the knife the man held in his hand, and never saw him raise it.

"JAMIR!" he suddenly heard.

Looking up, he saw Safti jumping to his feet, and heard something fall beside him. Turning, he saw it to be the man, with a dagger now sticking out of his chest. 

Suddenly two more men rushed into the tent, engaging Safti and Rick in combat, while another slipped in behind them and threw another dagger straight towards Ardeth. 

Faster then anyone would've thought possible, Jamir grabbed the bowl of water and flipped it around, deflecting the knife and then grabbing it, throwing it back towards the surprised man. 

Unnoticed to Jamir, Ardeth jerked awake when the water splashed him in the face. He heard a loud groan and watched in surprise as a man with a dagger in his stomach fell face first into the sand. 

Suddenly a gunshot sounded and Rick's assailant went down, quickly followed by Safti's. 

Ardeth's head was throbbing thanks to the gunshot; he barely heard his name being called when they crowded around him, making sure he was all right. 

Hassan and Shajar came bursting in, having heard the gunshot. Seeing the bodies, it wasn't hard to figure out what had occurred.

"More of Hafeez's men!" Hassan exclaimed. He practically growled to see Med-jai robes on them. "How did they managed to sneak into our camp?!"

Shajar sighed, upset at the news, but grateful that Ardeth—and the others—were all right. 

Ardeth felt fuzzy, as if he were still asleep, but he looked up when everyone surrounded him. "I am fine," he told them.

Rick made a face as if to say 'yeah, right!'

The sounds of frantic voices could be heard outside the tent, as people nervously waited to be told what had happened.

Shajar went back outside, to inform them. 

"Hafeez had men that we were not aware of!" Safti exclaimed, shaking his head. 

Ardeth nodded, not surprised. It bothered him that they'd managed to sneak into the camp, but before he got to say anything more, sleep arrived to claim him.


	15. Let it GO, Rick! lol

The next day was both better and worse for Ardeth; his fever lowered further, but his Quinine-induced irregular heartbeat worsened, scaring everyone nearly to death. 

Ardeth, though still exhausted after his terrible ordeal, was awake for longer periods of time but they were sure to keep him quiet and still, not wanting him to tax his stressed-out heart. He thought their behavior slightly humorous; he couldn't do much even if he _wanted_ to, he felt as weak as a baby and knew that it would take him a while to recover. 

Safti and Rick hovered at his side, never leaving for more than a minute or two. Despite seeing Ardeth's eyes open and coherency having returned to him, they both feared that his heart would simply give up, after what he'd been through this past week. 

What no one realized was that his heartbeat was at its worst for a couple hours after being given the drug. 

Jamir figured it out the following morning, when the pattern repeated itself. It bothered him, for he wondered if it meant that he was giving Ardeth too high of a dose. 

Sighing nervously, he tried to remember if the same thing had happened to the men who'd contracted malaria on a journey less then a year ago. He didn't think it had, but than again those men had received the medicine a lot sooner then Ardeth did, so they had not been as ill. 

Standing, he left Ardeth in the care of Rick and Safti and left the tent, sending a message to the Cairo doctor who he'd obtained the Quinine from. 

When the doctor's reply came back, Jamir was asleep, and Rick and Safti didn't realize the importance of the message, so they didn't wake him. 

Five minutes after delivering the message to the tent, Hassan came back. "We have received another message, this one from the 1st tribe," he told them, with a smile. "The Atrobine is working, many people are much improved."

Rick broke into a huge grin, and Safti gave him a clap on the back. 

"Atrobine?" they suddenly heard.

Looking down, they saw that Ardeth's eyes were open, and realized that no one had told him of Rick's life-saving deed.

"Evy got her hands on some, and I brought it to your tribe," Rick explained.

Ardeth smiled at that, closing his eyes with a relieved sigh.

Rick sighed himself, but for a different reason. "I didn't think to bring the drug with me when we came looking for you…" 

"Say no more, my friend," Ardeth said. "It is not your fault…you didn't know."

"But…but…argh!" Rick didn't know what to say. He still felt that he'd let his friend down.

"But nothing," Ardeth said, trying to sound stern, but weakness showed in his voice. "I am alive, am I not?"

Rick saw his point. "Yeah, but I could've spared you all the side effects from having to take Quinine."

Ardeth sighed. He wasn't enjoying the adverse reactions, that was for sure. "We can not change the past, Rick."

_He has another point, _Rick saw. Sighing again, he gave his friend a lopsided grin. "Yeah, but you know me. 'Rick Guilt O'Connell'." 

Ardeth nodded slightly. "Stop blaming yourself…I will be fine…" his voice drifted off as he fell back to sleep.

Rick studied him for a minute, before nodding. "Yeah, buddy," he whispered. "I know you will."

********************

Jamir slept longer then he intended, and when he awoke it was almost time to give Ardeth his next dose. He sat up quickly, having hoped to get a reply to his question before that time came. 

"Did a message come for me?" he asked Safti, who was sitting at Ardeth's side.

Safti nodded, looking around. Finding it, he stood and brought it to him.

Jamir opened it quickly. 

_The dose you mentioned is correct; the irregular heartbeat is worse during that time frame because that is when the entire amount is in his blood. It may get slightly better in time as his body gets used to the medicine. Do not change the dosage. If his heartbeat worsens, notify me._

Jamir sighed, putting the message down. It was good to know that he hadn't been giving Ardeth too much, but he was still concerned. 

Standing, he retrieved the Quinine and brought it to Ardeth, who Safti attempted to wake.

Ardeth opened his eyes, blinking blearily. He looked slightly disoriented.  

Safti held him up with one muscled arm, giving him water after Jamir took the empty cup away. 

Ardeth was asleep again before Safti even laid him back down. 

"How much longer will this go on?" Safti whispered. "Before he is, as Rick would say, 'up and around' again?"

Jamir sighed. "It has already been a week since he fell ill. I would not be surprised if he is not 'up and around' for two more weeks, and even then he won't have much strength back yet." He suddenly frowned. "Strange phrases Americans have."

Safti nodded, smiling slightly. "Indeed."


	16. Homeward Bound! YAY!

Jamir was right, it did it fact look like Ardeth would be bedridden for a couple of weeks. Over the next two days Ardeth's fever continued to fall, and the severity of his irregular heartbeat _did_ lessen, but it was shocking how weak the disease had made him. 

Ardeth hated being fussed over, and now that he had regained full coherency, he saw just how hard Jamir was working, and he felt sorry for the older man. 

"I am fine," he kept insisting. 

"No you are not," Jamir said back. "If you wish to return to your tribe, then you must do as I say!"

Rick and Safti watched with amused grins. They both knew how much Ardeth hated lying there while people took care of him, and they knew that if he hadn't been so weak that he would've already left for home, half-dead or not. 

Ardeth sighed deeply, as if it were a difficult chore to lie there. 

"Hey Jamir," said Rick. "If Ardeth's feeling that much better, maybe we can take him home now."

Ardeth tried to hide his hopeful look.

Jamir snorted. "He is not feeling as well as he pretends to be."

Rick shot a look at Ardeth as if to say, 'I tried!'

"Ardeth," said Jamir. "You know how serious malaria is! Traveling should be completely out of the question, especially now. You could risk a resurgence of your fever." 

Ardeth knew he was right, but he wanted to get home; to the people who needed their leader. 

"I can see where riding would be prohibited," said Safti. "But Rick has a car. The journey would be much shorter, and Ardeth will be protected from the sun."

Ardeth shot Jamir a look.

Jamir recognized the challenge in his expression. "True, that would help a great deal. We shall see how you are in a few days."

_A few days! _Ardeth tried—but didn't succeed—to hide his displeasure at that statement.

********************

After two days, Ardeth was again pestering Jamir, who finally gave in. 

"The only way I will let you leave is if you do it under my conditions," Jamir said.

Ardeth was so eager to get home that he didn't argue. "Go on," he said, wishing he were sitting up. Looking up at everyone was becoming _very_ annoying. 

Jamir looked at Rick and Safti. "First, under _no_ circumstances is Ardeth allowed to ride a horse. He either stays in the car or he doesn't leave at all."

The both nodded agreement, trying to hold back smiles at Ardeth's annoyed expression. 

"Second," said Jamir. "Do not make the trip in one day, you _must _camp overnight. Do _not_ listen to Ardeth when he tells you that he is fine and can continue on without stopping."

At that, Ardeth made a face, making Rick chuckle. 

"Most of all, you mustn't forget to give him the medicine!" Jamir said, fervently. "If he accidentally misses _one_ dose he should be all right, but missing anymore than that could prove disastrous."

Rick and Safti nodded again. 

"Now, _you_," said Jamir, giving Ardeth a stern look. "Do not cause them any trouble! Do not try to force your friends to go against the orders that I have just given them."

Ardeth let his annoyance fade away, finding Jamir's behavior amusing. He _was_ just trying to keep him alive, after all. "I will abide by your rules, Jamir."

Jamir smiled at him then. Despite living in the 7th tribe, he'd known Ardeth as a child, and had patched up many of the adventurous boy's scrapes and cuts. "I am glad that our Chieftain is so wise."

He sounded slightly sarcastic, but Ardeth knew that he was joking. "And I am glad to have such a good healer. Thank you."

Jamir smiled again and patted Ardeth's arm. 

"So are we good to go?" Rick asked, sounding impatient.

Jamir frowned at his odd phrase, but understood and nodded.

"Great! I'll get the car!" With that, Rick jumped up and ran out of the tent.

********************

"Thank you for coming after us, Hassan."

Hassan smiled and nodded as he knelt before Ardeth, who was sitting in the backseat of the car.

"It was nothing, my friend, I could not let you be prey for our enemy."

Ardeth nodded with a smile, clasping Hassan's hand to shake it, however weakly. 

Rick and Safti got into the car after making sure that they had everything.

"Thank you again, Jamir," said Ardeth, as Hassan closed the car door for him.

"Anytime, Ardeth!" said Jamir. "I hope the next time you visit us, you're healthy!"

Ardeth gave a laugh at that, and Rick drove the car out of the 7th tribe and towards home. 

********************

The day's journey thankfully passed without incident. Ardeth slept through most of it, his sleep disturbed only when the car drove over uneven sand. 

Rick drove as fast as his car could go, wanting to cover as much distance as he could; the shorter the ride, the better off Ardeth would be. The Med-jai that had come with he and Hassan that day had already gone back to the tribe, so Rick didn't have to worry about anyone on horseback having to keep up with him.

"We should stop, Rick," Safti suddenly said from the back.

Rick nearly jammed on the brakes at his words. "Something wrong with him?"

Safti shook his head, as Ardeth groggily opened his eyes, rudely awakened by the car's sudden stop. "It is time for Ardeth's medicine, we should set up camp."

Rick looked at his watch and saw that Safti was right; it _was_ time for Ardeth's medicine. He wondered how Safti knew that so accurately, since the Med-jai don't wear watches. 

The two of them quickly set up camp and went back to the car to get Ardeth. 

"I can walk," Ardeth told them.

They both gave him skeptical looks.

"I don't _think_ so," said Rick. "Your heartbeat still isn't normal." 

Ardeth insisted. "It is not far. I can walk."

Rick looked at Safti and shrugged. It _was_ only about ten feet. 

Reaching into the car, they helped Ardeth out and held onto him tightly, slowly helping him walk to the tent, steadying him when he lost his balance. 

Ardeth was shocked at how difficult it was; by the time they reached the tent, he was out of breath and sweaty. The extreme weakness angered him; how long would it take for him to be back to full warrior status? 

His two friends saw the look on his face and easily figured out his thoughts. Saying nothing, they helped him lie down and get comfortable. 

"How far did we get?" Ardeth asked, as Safti dug through one of the packs.

"Far," Safti answered. "We should reach home by early afternoon tomorrow."

Ardeth sighed with relief. 

"How much you wanna bet that Evy gets there before us?" Rick said.

Ardeth smiled. "If I bet against you, I am sure I would lose."

Safti chuckled as he brought Ardeth his medicine. "Ardeth Bay, resorting to betting?" He shook his head, with a mock-devastated look. 

Ardeth smiled tiredly, swallowing the bad-tasting medicine quickly. After Safti took the cup back, Ardeth closed his eyes, hearing him laugh at something that Rick had apparently said, but Ardeth didn't hear it as he drifted off to sleep.


	17. Home Sweet Home!

The next morning, they let Ardeth sleep as long as they could, packing up everything but the tent. He slept deeply, so they didn't wake him until it was time for his medicine.

Ardeth was startled out of a dream when they woke him, and he was slightly irked, as it was a dream he'd been enjoying.* When he saw the cup in Safti's hand, he remembered what was going on.

Rick drove the car to the tent opening so that Ardeth would have less distance to walk, and they took down the tent after getting him to the car. 

As he sat in the vehicle, Ardeth was surprised when he saw the angle of the sun in the sky; he'd obviously gotten a lot of sleep. He fervently hoped that it had sped up his recovery.

Rick kept his speed just as fast as the previous day, and when he spotted the Med-jai lookouts, he nearly yelled 'woo hoo!' "We're almost there!" he exclaimed.

Safti sighed in relief, longing to reach home. He and Ardeth hadn't been there in two weeks, having been on a weeklong journey before the namoos incident. 

He looked at Ardeth to see that his friend was asleep again, and hadn't heard Rick.

The Med-jai lookouts let them pass without stopping them, knowing who was in the car, since Safti had sent them a message telling them that they were on their way. 

The last few minutes of the ride seemed much longer then it actually was. When the camp was finally in sight, Safti woke his friend.

"Ardeth, we are home!" 

Ardeth's eyes flew open and he looked out the window. 

Safti saw the smile that grew on his friend's face, and he knew that his mirrored the expression. 

Rick finally pulled into the camp, relieved that there wasn't a group of people waiting. As he jumped out to open the back door, someone appeared out of nowhere and beat him to it. 

"Ardeth?"

Ardeth was relieved to hear the sound of Kamal's voice; it meant that he was obviously healthy. "My friend," he said.

Kamal smiled. "Thank God you are alive!"

Ardeth nodded his agreement, as they helped him out of the car. "How are the people?"

"Recovering," said Kamal. "Some faster then others."

"Deaths?" Ardeth asked, afraid of the answer.

"Only one," said Kamal. "Old Abdul."

Ardeth sighed. Abdul was very old and sickly. He'd suffered painful effects of old age and often complained that his body was refusing to die. Ardeth was glad that he was finally pain-free and at rest. 

"What of Akeem?" Safti asked.

Kamal smiled. "My brother is doing well. He did not become very ill, thankfully."

"I am relieved to hear that," Ardeth said, as they helped him into his tent. 

"I can't believe Evy and Jonathan aren't here yet," said Rick.

"They _are_ here," said Kamal.

"What? Where?"

Kamal laughed. "I did not tell the tribe that you were returning yet because I did not want you to be overwhelmed by a crowd."

Ardeth nodded his thanks, very grateful for that.

"As for your wife and Jonathan," Kamal said, to Rick. "They are sleeping and I chose not to wake them." 

Rick chuckled. "Smart man." 

********************

"Evy."

"Nmmm..."

Rick smiled and tickled his sleeping wife's nose. "Evvvvvvvvvy."

"Rick!"

Before he had a chance to blink, Evy was in his arms, hugging him tightly. 

"Oh Rick! Thank God, I was so afraid you'd be killed!"

"Nah," Rick said, hugging her back. "Never happen."

"It better not!" She suddenly pulled back. "Ooooh! How's Ardeth?"

Rick shrugged. "Recovering." He watched as she ran out of the tent. "Women," he muttered, following her.

********************

Ardeth was _just_ dozing off when a human missile propelled itself into the tent, and he gave a startled jump.

"Ardeth!" Evy dropped to her knees beside him, grabbing his hand. 

Ardeth gave her a slight smile. 

Evy sighed at the look of his pale skin and tired features. "Oooh, you poor thing!" 

"I will be fine," he told her.

She sighed again, feeling his forehead, thankful that it wasn't _too_ warm. "I do believe that you get into more trouble then Jonathan," she said, shaking her head.

"Did I hear my name?" The tent flap opened as Jonathan and Rick walked in, and the goofy look on Jonathan's face changed into one of concern. "You all right, old boy?" he asked.

Ardeth nodded. 

"It is nice to see everyone's relief that _I_ did not fall ill," Safti joked. 

Evy smiled and reached a hand out towards him. "We are _very_ relieved, Safti." 

Safti smiled, patting her hand before letting go.

"How do you feel, Ardeth?" Evy asked. "Is there anything we can do for you? Are you hungry?"

Ardeth thought for a second, before nodding.

Rick and Safti shot each other elated looks at the return of Ardeth's appetite. 

Evy started to stand, but Jonathan put his hand on her shoulder to keep her there. "Don't worry old mum, I'll get it! You shouldn't do so much in your condition."

"Condition?" said Evy. "I'm pregnant, not crippled!"

"As long as Jonathan does not cook the food, he can get it," Ardeth said. 

Jonathan shot Evy a triumphant look as he turned and headed for the tent flap. 

Everyone smiled amusedly at each other, when they saw that Jonathan obviously hadn't heard what Ardeth had said.

"_Wait_ a bloody second…" they suddenly heard him mutter, just outside the tent.

* Every woman reading this who wishes that they were in Ardeth's dream, raise your hand! LOL! 


	18. Mother Hens

Over the next few days, Ardeth's temperature continued to fall until it finally broke. He'd regained his appetite, and was feeling a little less tired. He was still weak, but would soon start to regain his strength. 

The rest of the tribe was also recovering well, most of them faster than Ardeth thanks to getting the Atrobine quickly. 

After hearing about Jamir, Evy sent him a message to let them know that Ardeth had arrived safe and sound and was doing fine. She was slightly surprised when he replied, and she laughed when she read it.

Ardeth was currently being briefed by a healer regarding the tribe's still-improving condition, so when Evy walked into the tent, she waited until they were finished.

"Evy?" Ardeth said, seeing the grin that she was trying to hide.

She came forward and knelt beside him, glad to see that he was sitting up. Saying nothing, she handed him the paper. 

_I am glad to know that Ardeth has someone else to pester him into taking care of himself. Make sure that he doesn't miss any doses, and tell him that I will be coming to his tribe in a few days to make sure that he has been obeying my orders. _

Ardeth couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. 

Evy smiled too, happy to see that he looked a little better today.

"What is the English phrase," Ardeth asked. "'Mother hen'?" At Evy's nod he continued. "I think I have enough mother hens to last me my entire lifetime."

Evy smiled, noticing that he sounded slightly annoyed, but also amused and touched. "You're right, Ardeth. You may be the Leader of the Med-jai, but in times like these you're just a little boy who needs to be mothered."

Ardeth gave her a surprised look at being called a 'little boy'.

Evy started laughing, patting his arm. "I'm kidding. You're not immortal, you need to be taken care of sometimes just like any one of us."

Ardeth reluctantly nodded. A minute later he looked at her. "You are right, and I thank you for your care, Evy. For that, and for getting the Atrobine. It matters not that I had to take Quinine; what matters is that _I_ was the only one. Thank you, Evy…the entire Med-jai society thanks you."

Evy smiled, blushing slightly at the massive compliment. 

THE END!

Thank you EVERYONE for your awesome reviews! Wow, over 200! I broke my old record, lol! Thanks SO much, and stay tuned for the sequel! :)


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